This is Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of fertility, love, and beauty. Known as Venus to the Romans, she held great sway over both gods and mortals. Here, she is undressed, as if just beginning, or just finishing, her bath. Her head originally turned to her right, as if surprised by an approaching visitor. In a gesture of modesty, she crouches, covering her nakedness. However, the action only succeeds in drawing our eyes towards her voluptuous body. Notice how her pose invites you to walk around the statue.

The Latin poet, Virgil, eloquently described the goddess:

She ceased and turned away. A roseate beam from her bright shoulder glowed; th’ambrosial hair breathed more than mortal sweetness, while her robes fell rippling to her feet.
[Virgil, Aeneid, I, 402]

The three-dimensionality of this figure is typical of Greek Hellenistic sculpture. In fact, this statue is a Roman copy of a Greek original. That original was made in the third century B.C. One of the most striking innovations of Greek art was the nude Aphrodite. And, some of the most impressive statues are those that show the goddess crouching.

This type is known only from a few Roman copies. This one may have also included a figure of Eros, the god of love, or even a water jar indicating that the goddess is bathing.