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Bronze statuette of Aphrodite with silver eyes

3rd–1st century BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 164
Aphrodite holds up in contemplation the apple given to her by the Trojan prince Paris as a prize for being the fairest of the Greek goddesses. This poignant image reinforces that distinction but also recalls the cause of the Trojan war. In exchange for the apple, Aphrodite offered Paris the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen, the wife of the Greek king Menelaos. In Classical Greek art, scenes of the myth do not illustrate the apple, which appeared first in the Hellenistic period.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Bronze statuette of Aphrodite with silver eyes
  • Period: Hellenistic
  • Date: 3rd–1st century BCE
  • Culture: Greek
  • Medium: Bronze
  • Dimensions: H.: 8 1/4 in. (20.9 cm)
  • Classification: Bronzes
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Walter C. Baker, 1971
  • Object Number: 1972.118.96
  • Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

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