Venus de Milo
An ancient Greek marble statue believed to depict Aphrodite, discovered on the island of Melos in 1820 and now among the most famous works of antiquity
The Meaning of Venus de Milo
The Venus de Milo was found in 1820 by a Greek farmer named Yorgos Kentrotas on the Aegean island of Melos. A French naval officer, Olivier Voutier, recognized its significance and arranged for France to acquire it. The statue, standing roughly two metres tall, depicts a female figure widely identified as Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. Her missing arms have inspired centuries of speculation — some scholars believe she held a mirror, others an apple, the symbol of Melos. Carved from Parian marble in two main sections joined at the hips, the work dates to approximately 130 to 100 BCE, placing it in the late Hellenistic period. Its blend of Classical calm and Hellenistic sensuality makes it a transitional masterpiece. France presented the statue to King Louis XVIII, who donated it to the Louvre, where it has remained one of the museum's greatest treasures and a global symbol of ancient Greek artistic achievement.
Parents
None recorded
Symbols
Fun Fact
The missing arms have never been found, and over forty different reconstructions have been proposed by scholars since 1820
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