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Venus de Milo
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The marble statue Venus de Milo, depicting the ancient Greek goddess Aphrodite with missing arms, stands on a pedestal in a gallery at the Louvre Museum in Paris. The Venus de Milo, an ancient Greek marble statue of Aphrodite, stands on display in a grand hall at the Louvre Museum in Paris, with a visitor nearby for scale. Venus de Milo Venus de Milo
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The marble statue Venus de Milo, depicting the ancient Greek goddess Aphrodite with missing arms, stands on a pedestal in a gallery at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
Venus de Milo Venus de Milo, marble statue thought to be of Aphrodite, from Melos, c. 150 bce; in the Louvre, Paris.

Venus de Milo

sculpture
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Venus de Milo, ancient statue commonly thought to represent Aphrodite, the ancient Greek goddess of sexual love and beauty, and identified with Venus by the Romans. It was carved about 150 bcefrom marble by Alexandros, a sculptor from Antioch on the Maeander River . It was found in pieces on the Aegean island of Melos on April 8, 1820, and was subsequently presented to Louis XVIII. The next year he donated the sculpture to the Louvre, where it remains today. Though it was reconstructed to a standing posture, the statue’s arms were never found. An inscription that is not displayed with the statue states that “Alexandros, son of Menides, citizen of Antioch of Maeander made the statue.” The figure’s origin on the island of Melos has led some to think she may be Amphitrite, the Greek goddess of the sea.

The general composition derives from a 4th-century-bce Corinthian statue. The twisting figure and modernized drapery give the Venus great nobility. The statue is a conspicuous example of the Hellenistic sculptural tradition’s academic traits and close reliance on older masterpieces.

The Venus de Milo, an ancient Greek marble statue of Aphrodite, stands on display in a grand hall at the Louvre Museum in Paris, with a visitor nearby for scale.
Venus de MiloVenus de Milo, marble sculpture, 2nd century bce; in the Louvre, Paris.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Alicja Zelazko.