Aphrodite, the goddess of love, is depicted here nude, and as if surprised at her bath. In the reconstruction drawing below, you can see that her arms reached forward to cover herself. The modest gesture, however, also draws us to her sexuality.

This statue is a Roman copy of a Greek original made in the Hellenistic period, sometime in the third or second century B.C. Statues of Aphrodite in the nude proliferated in the Hellenistic period, and, to some degree, all of them were inspired by the Aphrodite of Knidos—a fourth-century masterpiece by the Greek sculptor Praxiteles. The Knidian Aphrodite was the first major Greek work to show the goddess without clothing. The statue before you had the same modest gesture as Praxitele’s famous sculpture.

Take a moment to appreciate the delicate, yet voluptuous proportions of this figure from all angles. In the second century A.D., the Roman rhetorician, Lucian of Samosata, wrote a first-hand account of the famous Knidian Aphrodite. To hear a description based on his report, press the PLAY button now.