On view
Ancient Mediterranean Art
Torso of Aphrodite,
1st century CE
Roman | after a Greek Hellenistic original, late 3rd–early 2nd century B.C.
2014-42
These three sculptures, two of the goddess of love, Aphrodite, and one of Hermaphrodite, the child of Aphrodite and Hermes, demonstrate how specific aspects of a deity’s persona could be communicated through the particular way in which the divine body is represented. Aphrodite, associated with sensuality and love, is shown nude in each example, following the convention established in fourth-century BCE images of the goddess that radically departed from earlier modes of depicting her clothed. Captured mid-action, she is presented to the viewer in an intimate, private moment of undressing or bathing, as if inviting anyone who sees her to enter into that space of close familiarity where one might reach out to touch her tantalizing skin, only to discover that she is made of hard marble. Her child, Hermaphrodite, similarly embodies the sensuality and softness associated with the goddess, and indicates through their very body and position how they are connected with their mother.
Information
Title
Torso of Aphrodite
Dates
1st century CE
Medium
White marble, possibly Parian
Dimensions
35 x 19 x 33 cm (13 3/4 x 7 1/2 x 13 in.)
with base: 44.6 x 20.3 x 33 cm (17 9/16 x 8 x 13 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, Fowler McCormick, Class of 1921, Fund
Object Number
2014-42
Period
Type
Materials
With Sir Francis Cook (1817-1901), Doughty House, Richmond, from some point in the 19th century until 1901; from 1901 – 1920 it was with Sir Frederick Cook, Doughty House, Richmond; from 1920 – 1939 with Sir Herbert Cook, Doughty House, Richmond; from 1939 – 1950 with Sir Francis Ferdinand Cook, Doughty House, Richmond; from 1950 – 1951 with Spink and Son, London; from 1951 - 2013 with Albert Davis, 93 Harley Street, London; and descendents; from 2013 - 2014 with Ariadne Galleries, NY; purchased by the Museum from Ariadne Galleries in 2014.
- Eugénie Strong, "Antiques in the collection of Sir Frederick Cook, Bart., at Doughty House, Richmond", Journal of hellenic studies 28 (1908): p. 1-45., p. 16; no. 18; pl. X.
- "Acquisitions of the Princeton University Art Museum 2014", Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University 74 (2015): p. 55-77., p. 70
