Romano-British Bronze Venus Statuette

Name: Romano-British Bronze Venus Statuette
SKU: LD-735
Price: 995.00 GBP
Availability: OutOfStock

£ 995.00

A fine Romano-British Venus statuette cast from bronze. The goddess is displayed nude in a contrapposto pose with her right leg slightly bent carrying her weight. Her right arm is out-stretched downwards with an abnormally large hand open to accept a patera. She is wringing out a lock of her hair, an action repeatedly displayed across the Greek and Roman periods, with her left hand whilst looking right.

Date: 1st-2nd century AD
Provenance: By repute found UK however does not need an export licence as there is no further evidence to suggest the location. From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
Condition: Fine condition, her left foot is now missing. Some wear to the facial features consistent with age. The statuette is mounted on a custom-made stand. Height of the statuette itself is 11cm

SOLD

SKU: LD-735 Category: Deities & Demi-Gods Tags: Female Figures, Fertility

Description
Additional information

In Ancient Roman religion and mythology, Venus, her Greek counterpart Aphrodite, was the goddess of love, beauty, pleasure and procreation. Known as one of the most beautiful goddesses, she was unwillingly married to Vulcan, a god of lesser beauty. This position led her to have had many secret affairs with gods and mortals including with Mars explained in the Greek literature of Homer’s Odyssey were they ‘made love secretly in her husbands Hephaestus’ palace’ (Book 8.265-270). Venus’ imagery first started to show in 200 BC with temples constructed in her honour. Julius Caesar claimed to have explicit links with the goddess as he believed his family to be descendants of her son, Aeneas. She became a symbol of power across the Roman empire along with her well-known attributes. The idea of Venus wringing her hair out comes from the famous Venus Anadyomene. The belief that she was born as an adult from the sea and therefore trying to dry herself.