Head of Venus

Head of a female wearing an elaborate headdress, probably the Goddess Venus. The woman turns away from the viewer in an expression, similar to the famous Cnidian Aphrodite and the Medici Venus. She is differrent to other statues in that she wears a tall stephane (head flower garland). She has a bow hair knot set high behind a central part while her longer shoulder locks indicated she is Venus. She has a peculiar bun at the back of the neck with a small knot twisted into four sections. Her expression is droopy, the eyes heavily lidded and the lips full. The face has been completely remodelled and the execution of the hair is more basic and rendered with a chisel and a drill. Bartman noted that the sculptor combined details from many different statuettes in this head: the detailed mythological statuettes of antique sites such as Carthage, Chiragon, Saint Georges-de-Montagne. The eyes of the female bust are not however drilled as with the other well known mythological statues. Bartman considered this an indication of the ealier date of the bust to the mythological well known statues.