Cnidian Venuses - Aphrodite of Cnidus, Venus de' Medici, Capitoline Venus, Barberini Venus, Colonna Venus, Campo Iemini Venus, Borghese Venus (Paperback)

Chapters: Aphrodite of Cnidus, Venus De' Medici, Capitoline Venus, Barberini Venus, Colonna Venus, Campo Iemini Venus, Borghese Venus, Venus Felix. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 33. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: The Aphrodite of Cnidus was one of the most famous works of the ancient Greek sculptor Praxiteles of Athens (4th century BC). It and its copies are often referred to as the Venus Pudica (modest Venus) type, on account of her covering her groin with her right hand. Variants of the Venus Pudica (suggesting an action to cover the breasts) are the Venus de' Medici or the Capitoline Venus. The Colonna VenusThe statue became famous for its beauty, meant to be appreciated from every angle, and for being the first life-size representation of the nude female form. It depicted the goddess Aphrodite as she prepared for the ritual bath that restored her purity (not virginity), discarding her drapery in her left hand, while modestly shielding her genitals with her right hand. At first glance it may appear where her hand is placed is a gesture of modesty, but in all actuality it only emphasizes her nudity. According to a possibly apocryphal account by Pliny, Praxiteles received a commission from the citizens of Kos for a statue of the goddess Aphrodite. Praxiteles then created two versionsone fully draped, and the other completely nude. The shocked citizens of Kos rejected the nude statue and purchased the draped version. The design and appearance of the draped version is today unknown as it didn't survive, nor did it appear to have merited attention, to judge from the lack of surviving accounts. The rejected nude was purchased by some citizens of Knidos and set up in an open air temple that permitted viewing of the statue from all sides. It quickly became one of the most famous w...More: http: //booksllc.net/?id=288757