Greek Hellenistic Marble Head, Perhaps Aphrodite

Greece, Hellenistic, ca. 4th to 3rd century BCE. Carved in the round, a lovely marble head of a female, perhaps Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, depicted with her head tilted slightly toward the left, with delicate features and her her hair pulled away from her face and neck. The goddess' elegant, oval face is sensitively modeled so as to present a naturalistic visage characteristic of the Hellenistic period with a rounded forehead, large and generously lidded almond-shaped eyes, a fine brow line that merges with the bridge of her nose, a soft rounded chin, and full, pursed lips. Truly life-like, despite the goddess' mythical status, this naturalistic visage demonstrates that the sculptor was virtuosic in his ability to bring marble to life! Size: 11.5" H (29.2 cm); 13.5" H (34.3 cm) on included custom stand.

Aphrodite's sublime beauty legendarily inspired much rivalry among the gods, not to mention countless depictions throughout art history, among the most famous, the Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli's "Birth of Venus" (1484-86), Baroque artist Peter Paul Rubens' "Judgement of Paris" (ca. 1636), and of course, Attic sculptor Praxiteles's "Aphrodite of Knidos" (ca. 360-330 BCE) and the equally famous "Lely's Venus" (ca. 100 to 199 CE).

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Frances Artuner collection, Belgium, acquired in the 1960s

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#144097
Condition Report: Losses to coiffure/back of head, neck, nose, lips, and other high-pointed areas of the face as shown. Two partially drilled perforations to the temples, probably for former attachment of a diadem.