Lower part of Venus

59.148.63

Information

Lower part of a naked statue of the Roman goddess Venus (the Greek goddess Aphrodite). There is a large patch on the figure's left thigh, probably from the left arm that came down to cover the pubis. The two breaking points on the left thigh indicate where the fingers came down. The torso represented the Venus of the Capitoline statue. There is evidence of drapery at the back of the left thigh, probably representing the drapery on the jar of the Capitoline type. The torso was from a life size female standing frontally but with her head turned to the side and covering her pubis and breasts with her arms. She is fleshy and volumous and it is most likely the torso represented in a drawing by Pier Leone Ghezzi ( Albertina Museum, Vienna ) showing his previous owner Baron Phillip von Stosch in his studio, surrounded by male connoisseurs and admiring the female torso.