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 APHRODITE
This upper part of a monumental statue probably represents Aphrodite, goddess of reproduction and sexuality, and the main deity of the island of
Cyprus. In front of her right breast she is holding a budding lotus flower, a token of fertility. Her dress consists of a translucent sleeved undergarment with a sleeveless pinafore over it.
She wears four necklaces, three of them with round ornamental discs. The undermost disc hangs between the goddess's breasts, which protrude rather noticeably. Her hair is arranged in a high
coiffure with formalised curls on the forehead. In her ears are earrings, standing out against the hair which reaches down to her shoulders.
There are two versions of Aphrodite's ancestry. According to one version, she is the daughter of Zeus and Dione. According to another she was born from sea
foam mixed with the blood and semen of Uranus, after the latter had been castrated by his son Cronos. Carried by the breath of Zephyrus, the god of the
West Wind, she travelled across the sea in a shell until she landed on the shore of Cyprus, where she has always been highly regarded. Aphrodite is related to
Anatolian and Phoenician goddesses such as Astarte, but by early Greek times she was perceived as the ideal of feminine beauty and attraction combined with
unrestrained sexuality. She was married to the god Hephaistos (cat no. 64), but had several other affairs with gods and human beings. Once she had an affair
with Ares, the god of war. She was caught in the act by her husband Hephaistos, who trapped the caressing couple and locked them up in an iron coop which only
he could open. Hephaistos then showed them to the other Olympian gods as if they were hunting catch. The goddesses turned their heads aside in
embarrassment, but the gods burst out laughing. She also had an affair with the Trojan Anchises, bearing a son Aeneas (cat. no. 17) who was later regarded as
the forefather of the Romans. For that reason, she became very popular in Rome, especially with the Julio-Claudian emperors who venerated her as their direct ancestor (Venus Genetrix).
This statue from Cyprus is typical of the Archaic Period (sixth century BC). It is intended to be viewed from the front. The attitude is rigid and the body's
features are schematically represented. The pointed chin, the slightly pursed lips and the beautiful almond shaped eyes embody a charming refinement. |
