2ND CENTURY B.C.

Aphrodite, the goddess of love, remained ever popular in the Hellenistic world of the 3rd-1st Century B.C. which stretched from East to West and encompassed both the traditions and tastes of Classical Greece and the baroque tendency from Asia. From Rome to Asia, especially during the later Hellenistic period, the demand was enormous for small scale sculpture to adorn shrines, public building and private houses, from a clientele ever conscious of its place and prestige in society. Whilst copies of Classical Greek models were often reproduced, the artist was given scope in the Hellenistic period to treat his subject with individuality and could lend dramatic effect or express mood through the use of elaborate drapery.

The charm and sensuality of this Aphrodite exemplifies Hellenistic taste and artistic achievement; the slim shoulders, small breasts and feminine form revealed beneath almost transparent and complex drapery, are coupled with a three-dimensional pose which invites the viewer to observe her from all angles. According to myth, Aphrodite was born from the sea and this is alluded to in this statue by the traces of a dolphin tail beside her leg; she is a rare variant of the so-called Aphrodite Anadyomene type (rising from the sea).

This lot is accompanied by a certificate from The Art Loss Register.

See illustrations on following pages.