Doe and Hope

Description

The weighty cast bronze figurine in the provincial style of the goddess Venus standing nude with right hand extended and brought to the midriff, and left raised to head height grasping the hair survives from 1st/2nd Century AD Rome.

Considering the considerable age, the piece is in sound condition, aside to the loss of the right lower leg lacking, (which was probably flexed), it is also possible that the right arm lacks a mirror, which she may have been holding, but it’s not conclusive. Importantly she’s not been cleaned so has an enormous amount of charm. The whole has wear to the gilt, worn to a gorgeous even aged green burnished gold patination commensurate with its antiquity.

Venus is a Roman goddess who corresponds to the goddess Aphrodite in Greek mythology. According to Roman mythology, Venus sprang up from the sea when the testicles of Uranus had been cut off and thrown into the ocean. She is known as the goddess of love and beauty as well as fields and gardens. Throughout the years, Venus has come to represent seduction and lust as she came to be a sex symbol. Some of her lovers include Mars (the god of war) and Vulcan (the god of fire), similar to the lovers of Aphrodite. Venus came to be associated with many lovers who were both mortals and gods, over time she became a representation of what it means to be feminine. She became an important goddess with the influences of prominent political figures in Rome such as Julius Caesar and the Emperor Augustus who named her the ancestor of their family (Lindehans).

Quite an important piece of history, and when she’s not found dwelling in a studious types cabinet of curiosities she makes a cracking paperweight.