  About the Artwork
  
  
  Toward the end of the fifth century BCE, a famous Greek statue of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, was created, probably to decorate a temple in Athens. It was such a popular image that it was later copied many times. The type became known throughout the Greco-Roman world and was associated with the Roman goddess Venus.
In more complete examples, Aphrodite is shown holding the apple awarded her in the contest among goddesses when she was judged the most beautiful. Female nudity was not sanctioned in art until later in Greek history but artists discovered a way to reveal aspects of feminine grace. Aphrodite’s garments cling to her body, outline and emphasize contours, creating the illusion of female beauty at its most sensuous.
  
  
  Title
  Torso of Aphrodite, Roman copy of the Venus Genetrix type
  
  
  Artwork Date
  1st century CE
  
  
  
  
  Makers
  
  
  (Artist)
  Greek
  (Artist)
  Roman
  
  
  
  Medium
  Marble
  
  
  Dimensions
  Overall: 58 × 25 × 17 1/4 inches (147.3 × 63.5 × 43.8 cm)
  Including base: 63 × 24 × 24 inches (160 × 61 × 61 cm)
  
  
  Classification
  Sculpture
  
  
  Department
  Greco-Roman and Ancient European
  
  
  Credit
  Founders Society Purchase with funds from Cristina and Henry Ford II
  
  
  
  Accession Number
  
  
  
  This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection.
  Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings.
  For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups.
  
  
  
  74.53
  
  
  Copyright
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