Venus - Barcelona, Spain
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denben
N 41° 23.394 E 002° 11.193
31T E 431992 N 4582360
The sculpture the Birth of Venus by Venanci Vallmitjana is part of the Cascada del Parc de la Ciutadella, an architectural and sculptural fountain located at the northern corner of the park opposite to the lake.
Waymark Code: WMQR8Q
Location: Cataluña, Spain
Date Posted: 03/22/2016
Views: 11
The Cascade was built between 1875 and 1888 with an overall design by Josep Fontserè. It was inaugurated in 1881 without sculptures or any meticulous details, and was thereby criticized by the press, after which this triumphal arch was thoroughly amended by the addition of a fountain and some minor attributes and was thenceforth put on display at the Universal Exhibition.
Venanci Vallmitjana sculpture depicts the half-naked goddess Venus standing with her arms raised and framed by a seashell in the back and two naiads at her feet.
Venus is the Roman goddess whose functions encompassed love, beauty, sex, fertility, prosperity and desire. In Roman mythology, she was the mother of the Roman people through her son, Aeneas, who survived the fall of Troy and fled to Italy. Julius Caesar claimed her as his ancestor. Venus was central to many religious festivals, and was revered in Roman religion under numerous cult titles.
The Romans adapted the myths and iconography of her Greek counterpart Aphrodite for Roman art and Latin literature. In the later classical tradition of the West, Venus becomes one of the most widely referenced deities of Greco-Roman mythology as the embodiment of love and sexuality.
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