Venus And The Apple Statue

Venus and the apple marble statuette 

The Original marble sculpture of Venus of Arles was discovered in several pieces at the Roman Theatre of Arles, by workmen. The head was uncovered first, leading to further excavations but after further excavations were made in the area of the theatre's scenae frons, but no further fragments were found.

When restoring the sculpture, the royal sculptor Francois Girardon, added the apple in the right hand – as won in the Judgement of Paris, and the mirror in the left, to make the sculpture more closely resemble a Venus. 

The original is said to be a copy of the the Aphrodite of Thespiae by Praxiteles, made for the courtesan Phryne, In the 2nd century AD

The original marble sculpture was given, in 1681, to Louis XIV, to decorate the Galerie des Glaces  (Hall of Mirrors) in the Palace of Versailles. The statue was seized from the royal collection during the French Revolution and has been in the Louvre ever since.

Size. 59x22x18cm

kg 10kg