Marble statue of Venus emerging from her bath
Marble statue of Venus (Aphrodite) emerging from her bath
Roman, 1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.
The statue shows the Goddess of Love (Roman Venus, Greek Aphrodite) in one of her traditional poses, based on a Hellenistic model from the fourth or third century B.C. that was frequently copied in Roman times. Such sculpture was highly prized by wealthy and sophisticated Romans, who furnished their town houses and country villas with Greek works of art. Venus was such a popular subject that some portrait statues of Roman women were carved in the guise of the scantily clad goddess. This Venus comes from the collection of the Duke of Northumberland and was acquired in Italy during a Grand Tour in the eighteenth century.
Although her arms are now lost, her right hand probably reached upward to arrange her wet hair, while her left extended downward as if to catch the mantle that is about to fall from her hips.
When I first saw the statue of Venus, my eyes were captivated. The statue was leaning back against a large window, bathed in sunlight. Her back was shining, while the shadow in front of her created a hazy beauty. The marble statue is about 60 inches tall. Although there are plenty of scrapes and fissures on her body, the curves forming her figure are delicate.
Her graceful posture first caught my attention. The upper body is naked, and the lower part is covered by a mantle. Her upper body is soft and shapely, though both arms are broken. Nevertheless, the gesture of her arms can still be inferred from other parts of her body. Her right arm extends upward, and the muscle on her right side is stretched, pulling her small and exquisite right breast. The left arm extends downward and stays close to her body, squeezing her left breast and the flesh beneath her armpit. Her upper abdomen is flat, but her waist and lower abdomen are plump, giving her body a gentle 'S' shape. From the back, the spine line is smooth, and the falling mantle does not cover her buttocks. There are shallow and deep nicks on the mantle, making it appear visually thick, heavy, and wet. The upper part of the mantle is rolled, with a large knot at the center front. Her legs are hidden inside the mantle. The depth and direction of the wrinkles not only show layers and gradations but also suggest the position of her legs. Her left leg is straight and appears to bear the weight of her body, indicated by the tight left thigh muscles and the shrunken muscle on her left buttock, with a deeper hip line compared to the right side. Her right leg is relaxed and raised, with only the big toe touching the ground. The right leg pulls the mantle back, creating deeper and more layered wrinkles near the front of the left leg and shallower, fewer wrinkles near the back of the right leg.
Mantle of marble statue of Venus
The head of Venus is perfectly proportioned to her body. She has curly hair, which takes up over 60 percent of her head. The hair appears heavy and wet due to its texture. The nicks in her hair are not deep but clearly separate each strand. The strands are relatively wide, suggesting that water might have caused the hair to clump together. Additionally, the color of most strands is grayer than the nicks, possibly due to historical factors, as the original color was likely uniform. Walking around, I noticed her hair is short, only reaching her neck. It is asymmetrical, with noticeable differences between the left and right sides. On the left, the curly hair covers most of her face and left ear, appearing well-brushed, with each nick and strand beautifully defined. Though the curves seem unruly, they come together harmoniously, drawing my full attention. Unfortunately, a hand-sized portion of the left hair is broken. On the right, some hair is brushed behind her right ear, though the broken right arm blocks part of the view. The right side appears less perfect, with more focal points, making it seem messy.
Marble statue of Venus back
After completing a full circle around the statue, I stood in front of her again, this time closer. The hair is parted in the middle, revealing her face. However, her face did not initially capture my attention. She is slightly looking down at the ground, with her head tilted approximately 30 degrees to the right. Due to the statue's position with its back to the window, there is a shadow on her face. At first glance, her face seemed ordinary, but upon closer inspection, I realized I was mistaken. Her face is elegant, delicate, and carefully crafted. It appears thin and pointed. In the upper part of her face, the hairline is rounded, and the forehead is narrow. Her brow bone juts out noticeably, creating a prominent ridge above her eyes. This effect of the shadow makes the brow bone appear unnaturally prominent, almost as if it doesn't belong to her face. However, it also creates deep eye sockets, adding a three-dimensional quality to her face. Both eyes are identical in size and rounded, with upturned ends. When I stared into them, I could see a soft light in her eyes. There is a difference between the two eyes: the right eye has heavier puffiness, while the left has larger canthi. Though her eyebrows are not carved, the eyes and the curves above them suggest that her eyebrows would be soft and naturally shaped.
Front face of marble statue of Venus
In the middle of her face, I saw a typical Roman nose. The long bridge of her nose protrudes outward, starting straight from her forehead with a slight curve visible from the side. A crack on the left side of her petite nose accidentally reveals the depth of the curved nostrils. Her cheeks are marvelously curved. While her face appears thin at first, the subtle curves of her cheeks give it a plump and vivid appearance. From the lower part of her face, the philtrum is shorter than expected and has low relief. Her mouth is as wide as her nose, slightly and naturally open. Her upper lip is thinner than her lower lip, and the corners of her mouth are slightly upturned, though they do not convey any emotion. Her neck complements her face's beauty. With short hair, her neck is fully exposed. The transition between her face and neck is subtle, starting from her ears and gradually becoming clearer as it crosses under her jaw. Each part of her face is exquisite on its own and harmonious as a whole.
The marble statue of Venus perfectly captures the beauty of nature: both the nature of the human body and nature itself.
This is my first time carefully observing and describing a marble statue. I spent three days at the MET, focused solely on this masterpiece. Although I’ve visited the MET many times, this experience was completely different—standing for over eight hours, deeply immersed in studying just one statue. I strongly recommend that everyone try describing and writing about art; it opens up a whole new way of seeing!
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