That is the case of our statue, whose
This position of the drapery, very low on
drapery hangs elegantly down her thighs,
the body, is reproduced in late variants
covering her lower legs and forming the
of the model such as the Madrid and
arc of a circle behind, emphasising her
London sculptures (Ill. 4 and Ill. 1).
buttocks. This also enabled the sculptor to exhibit two kinds of work with the
The slender proportions of the goddess,
same sculpture: both the delicate folds
her smooth skin and the motif of the
of the drapery, which catch the light and
mantle falling low on her body place our
give the sculpture depth, and the soft,
sculpture at the end of the Hellenistic
sensual curves of smooth skin.
period, in the 1st century BC.
P ubl ic at ion: - Cat a log ue of Eg y pt ian, Near Ea ster n,
Gre ek and Roman A nt iqu it ie s , Sothe by & Co, L ondon, sa le Monday 18th June 19 6 2 , lot 116.
Ill. 4. Torso of Aphrodite, Roman sculpture, circa 50 – 75 AD, marble, H.: 56 cm. Prado museum, Madrid, inv. no. E00918.