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Lot Essay
Aphrodite is depicted nude but for a himation elaborately draped over the lower part of her body. She bends forward with her left foot resting on the rocks before her. Her head is inclined forward and her gaze is directed toward her raised foot. Her hair is arranged in a looped top-knot bound by a diadem.
The pose and the presence of a rocky footrest are related to the so-called “Tiber Muse,” now in Minneapolis (see pls. 80a-b in B.S. Ridgeway, Hellenistic Sculpture II). While that figure’s lower body is likewise clad in a draped himation, she also wears a more modest chiton concealing her torso. While Ridgeway (op. cit., pp. 316-317) concedes that the precise identity of the Minneapolis figure is unknown – it could also represent Aphrodite, Hygeia or Hera – comparison of the present figure to one in Moscow confirms that Aphrodite is the intended subject (see no. 646 in A. Delivorrias, “Aphrodite,” LIMC, vol. II).
The pose and the presence of a rocky footrest are related to the so-called “Tiber Muse,” now in Minneapolis (see pls. 80a-b in B.S. Ridgeway, Hellenistic Sculpture II). While that figure’s lower body is likewise clad in a draped himation, she also wears a more modest chiton concealing her torso. While Ridgeway (op. cit., pp. 316-317) concedes that the precise identity of the Minneapolis figure is unknown – it could also represent Aphrodite, Hygeia or Hera – comparison of the present figure to one in Moscow confirms that Aphrodite is the intended subject (see no. 646 in A. Delivorrias, “Aphrodite,” LIMC, vol. II).