Photos of the Venus de Milo Ancient Greek Statue

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Photos of the Iconic Venus de Milo Ancient Hellenistic Greek Statue housed at The Louvre Museum Paris. Photos by photographer Paul E Williams. (TIP – use the icons below the slideshow for thumbnail photos and info)

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Photos of the Venus de Milo Ancient Hellenistic Greek Statue

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Photos of the iconic Venus de Milo (Aphrodite of Milos) housed at the Louvre Museum, Paris.

The Venus de Milo is a 203 cm (6 ft 8 in) high marble statue from the Greek Island of Milos sculpted around 130BC possibly the work of Alexandros of Antioch.

Discovery of the Venus de Milo

The Venus de Milos statue was discovered on 8 April 1820 by a peasant named Yorgos Kentrotas, inside a buried niche within the ancient city ruins of Milos, the current village of Tripiti. At that time the island of Milos in the Aegean was then a part of the Ottoman Empire.

The Venus de Milo Is Shipped to France

The Venus de Milo statue was purchase by the French ambassador to the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) and it was shipped to France. Legend has it that the statues arms were broken off during transport. This story has proved to be a fabrication as Voutier’s drawings of the statue, when it was first discovered, show that its arms were already missing.

The French Make The Venus de Milo Famous

In 1815, France had to return the Medici Venus to the Italy after claims were upheld that it had been looted from Italy by Napoleon Bonaparte. The Medici Venus, regarded as one of the finest Classical sculptures in existence, caused the French to promote the Venus de Milo as a greater work of art than the The Medici Venus.

The Venus de Milo statue was dutifully praised by many French artists and critics as the epitome of graceful female beauty. However, Pierre-Auguste Renoir was among its detractors, labeling it a “big gendarme”.