Colonna Venus (Aphrodite of Knidos) by Jerry Fisher

Description

Colonna Venus (Aphrodite of Knidos) The Colonna Venus is a Roman Imperial Period copy of the famous Aphrodite of Knidos by the Attic sculptor Praxiteles. While the statue is a high quality replica, most scholars consider it to be dry and academic, lacking the vitality of the original. It is better preserved than many other copies. The Colonna Venus, as its name states, was originally part of the Colonna family private collection. The statue can be dated as first appearing at the Vatican in 1783. It was one of four Venus statues given to Pope Pius VI by Filippo Guiseppe Colonna. It became part of the Museo Pio-Clementino. When the museum was opened to the public, the statue was altered with a metal drapery that wrapped around the legs in an effort to censor its perceived erotic appeal. Scholars, artists and others mocked the "faux modesty" drape and it was finally removed in 1932. Another model hosted here at Scan the World shows the statue as it formerly was with the modesty drape: https://www.myminifactory.com/object/3d-print-aphrodite-34123 ------- The original statue was created around the middle to late part of the 300s B.C.E. and stood somewhere in the city of Knidos. Despite being a cult statue, it became a tourist attraction and made Knidos famous. The statue was famous for not only being one of the first larger than life female nudes but also showing Aphrodite completely naked. The statue was not intended to be overtly erotic. Instead, Praxiteles depicted Aphrodite…