108 - ROME (ANTIQUITY), 1st–2nd century A.D.

ROME (ANTIQUITY), 1st–2nd century A.D. Torso of Venus, Patinated marble, Italy, Greco-Roman art, 1st–2nd century A.D., H. 59 cm. The sculpture is accompanied by historical documentation. A certificate of authenticity issued by André Le Véel, an expert, dated December 14, 1968, describes the work as a “Torso of APHRODITE, nude, in marble with a slightly gray-blonde patina and ferruginous marks,” and places it in Italy, within the context of ancient Greco-Roman art, dating to the 1st–2nd centuries A.D. The height is listed as 59 cm. A handwritten note specifies: “a stain under the left breast, removed upon request.” Document signed and dated Paris, December 14, 1968. Our Roman Venus, likely of Hellenistic inspiration, undoubtedly belongs to the corpus of the Venus of the Esquiline type, named after the statue discovered in Rome. It is, in fact, a female figure striking a contrapposto pose, with her left arm raised, in order to highlight the goddess’s body. There are variations of this model, one of which is housed in the Louvre Museum.