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Lot Essay
There is no doubt that when the antique prototype upon which the present lot is based was conceived it was a titillating and seductive observation of the female form. Venus, in this composition, pulls aside her long heavy gown to reveal her rounded buttocks and long right thigh, while also exposing her right breast. In turning her head - as she does - over her right shoulder she would have been looking at her glorious reflection in the water.
Through the cult of Venus the antique prototypes of this model were intended to adorn the many temples dedicated to the goddess of love. The cult gained further mythical status through stories such as those by Athenaeus in the early third century AD who told the tale of two young, beautiful, sisters from Syracuse arguing over who had the finer buttocks. To settle the argument they accosted a young man passing by and asked him to judge. After a close examination he deemed that the elder had the finer and upon telling this incredible story to his younger brother, the latter insisted on also expressing an opinion and in doing so fell in love with the other sister. The double marriage that followed improved the girls' fortunes to such an extent that they dedicated a temple to Venus Kallipygos in Syracuse.
The antique marble original now housed in the Museo Nazionale, Naples, is recorded in the Farnese collection, Rome, in 1594. It is then recorded as having moved in 1697 to the Sala dei Filosofi and then again to the Farnesina where it is recorded with certainty in 1767. Between 1786 and 1792 it underwent restoration by the sculptor Carlo Albacini before being moved to Naples. Unsurprisingly, the composition was copied extensively in the 18th century with examples surviving in all media.
Through the cult of Venus the antique prototypes of this model were intended to adorn the many temples dedicated to the goddess of love. The cult gained further mythical status through stories such as those by Athenaeus in the early third century AD who told the tale of two young, beautiful, sisters from Syracuse arguing over who had the finer buttocks. To settle the argument they accosted a young man passing by and asked him to judge. After a close examination he deemed that the elder had the finer and upon telling this incredible story to his younger brother, the latter insisted on also expressing an opinion and in doing so fell in love with the other sister. The double marriage that followed improved the girls' fortunes to such an extent that they dedicated a temple to Venus Kallipygos in Syracuse.
The antique marble original now housed in the Museo Nazionale, Naples, is recorded in the Farnese collection, Rome, in 1594. It is then recorded as having moved in 1697 to the Sala dei Filosofi and then again to the Farnesina where it is recorded with certainty in 1767. Between 1786 and 1792 it underwent restoration by the sculptor Carlo Albacini before being moved to Naples. Unsurprisingly, the composition was copied extensively in the 18th century with examples surviving in all media.