Lely Venus - British Museum, London, UK
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member Master Mariner
N 51° 31.129 W 000° 07.575
30U E 699373 N 5711437
This Venus, known as Lely's Venus, is located in the British Museum in London. It is currently (Jan 2012) to be found in Room 23 - Greek and Roman Sculpture. It has prime position in the centre of the room.
Waymark Code: WMDH7A
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 01/16/2012
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member razalas
Views: 9
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Venus, also known as Aphrodite is the Roman goddess of love and stands four feet (1.2 metres) tall. The statue has been around since the 2nd century AD and is in excellent condition.

The exhibit card, for the statue, reads:
"Lely's Venus (Aphrodite)

Here the goddess Venus is surprised as she bathes, her water jar resting under her left thigh. She crouches naked and attempts to cover herself with her arms and expressive hands. Her beautiful head, with its top-knot hairstyle, is turned nervously to one side, perhaps in the direction of an intruder.

Naked Aphrodite was a popular subject with Greek sculptors, as she was with the Romans, who called her Venus. This sculpture was probably made in the 1st or 2nd century AD and is a Roman copy of an earlier Greek original. The original sculpture, now lost, may have been of bronze or marble, perhaps dating to the 2nd century BC.

Like many Greek sculptures of the Hellenistic period, the original statue was designed to create an interplay between artwork and viewer or, in this case, voyeur. Walk around it and you will see how each of the four viewpoints presents a strikingly different aspect of the naked goddess. Tantalisingly, none is fully revealing.

In spite of the original intention to create all-round interest, there are signs that this particular copy of the crouching Venus may have been displayed in a niche. On the thin sides of the plinth a simple moulding runs around the front part only, and the modelling of the figure is less developed on the back than it is on the front and sides.

This statue is sometimes known as Lely's Venus, named after the painter Sir Peter Lely (1618-80). He acquired it from the collection of Charles I, following the King's execution in 1649. After Lely's own death, it found its way back into the Royal Collection.

Lent by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II".

The museum has a "fact card" about this piece on its website.

Wikipedia Url: [Web Link]
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