Greek Hellenistic Terracotta Bust of Aphrodite

Greece, Hellenistic Period, ca. 4th to 1st century BCE. A lovely mold-formed buff terracotta bust of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, presented in a sensuous manner with traces of applied white pigment accentuating her allure. Aphrodite stands in front of a rounded aureole and wears a flowing cloak around her shoulders that wraps around her waist, holds a hair braid with her left hand to reveal her breasts, and cups her right hand beneath one breast. Shown atop the tapering neckline is a dignified countenance with a perky nose, semicircular eyes beneath puffy brows, full lips, and a smooth forehead, all beneath a braided coiffure bound on top in a tight bun. A wonderful example replete with expert stylization! Size: 6.6" W x 8.75" H (16.8 cm x 22.2 cm); 10.3" H (26.2 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: ex-Arte Primitivo Gallery, New York, New York, USA, auction #96 (December 6, 2019, lot 503); ex-private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-Madame Frances Artuner collection, Brussels, Belgium, acquired in the 1960s to 1980s and imported into the USA between 1980s and 2000

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#152896 Dimensions: Condition Report: Repaired from two large pieces, with restoration, resurfacing, and overpainting along new material and break lines. Losses to lower areas of goddess and aureole as shown. Abrasions and nicks to body, head, aureole, peripheries, and verso, with softening to some finer details, fading to original pigment, and light encrustations. Nice earthen deposits and faint traces of original pigment throughout.