Why Was the Venus de Milo Statue Discovered With No Arms?

The Venus de Milo, oregon Aphrodite of Milos. Credit: Bradley N Weber/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 2.0

The Venus de Milo, besides known arsenic the Aphrodite of Milos, is 1 of the astir celebrated sculptures to person ever travel retired of ancient Greece. It is instantly recognizable by its missing arms — 1 of the top mysteries successful creation history.

The figure, which was created with 2 blocks of achromatic marble, measures 6 feet 8 inches, larger than life-size. The Venus de Milo is believed to correspond the Goddess of emotion and beauty, Aphrodite (who is known arsenic Venus successful Roman mythology).

Its creator is unknown, but immoderate scholars person suggested that the exquisite scupture whitethorn beryllium the enactment of Alexandros of Antioch.

The Venus of Capua, a Roman transcript of a Greek archetypal from the Hellenistic period. The sculptor of the Venus de Milo whitethorn person recovered inspiration from this model. Credit: Sailko/CC BY 3.0

Why does this sculpture proceed to gully truthful overmuch fascination, study, and intrigue to this day? The Venus de Milo is simply a masterpiece and is 1 of the astir precise and compositionally beauteous statues of the Hellenistic period. The equilibrium it strikes betwixt craftsmanship and allure has made it 1 of the astir celebrated sculptures successful the past of past Greece.

The piece’s deficiency of forearms person lone deepened the aura of this fascinating figure. Its level of item is the hallmark of this ancient Greek enactment of creation that embodies feminine beauty successful each its splendor.

The find of the Venus de Milo

The statue was found half-buried and successful 2 abstracted pieces connected April 8, 1820. The fragments were located connected the Aegean land of Milos by a peasant named Yórgos Kendrotás.

Kendrotás near 1 fractional of the Venus wherever helium had recovered it due to the fact that helium could not budge it from the ground. A French naval serviceman named Oliver Voutier, who had moored his vessel astatine Milos, came to the assistance of Kendrotás successful excavating the sculpture lone to recognize that the portion was a singular creator discovery.

He reported the find backmost to his colleagues and the French instantly began negotiating with the Ottomans, which controlled Milos astatine the time, for possession of the sculpture which they knew to beryllium priceless.

What happened to the Venus de Milo’s arms?

No 1 knows for definite what happened to the forearms of the Aphrodite of Milos, but aggregate antithetic theories person emerged since its discovery.

A fashionable mentation states that the arms were breached successful 1820 during the fight disconnected the seashore of Milos when French and Turkish sailors competed for possession of the enactment of art. It is believed that the sculpture near the land by force, losing some arms erstwhile hitting the rocks; however, astir scholars contiguous judge that the sculpture’s arms were already missing erstwhile Voutier and Kendrotás recovered it.

Another mentation claims that successful 1965, the jurist Ahmed Rechim knew astir the statue’s arms arsenic helium attempted to reclaim ownership of the Venus for Turkey from the Louvre Museum.

The jurist added the pursuing accusation successful his request: “The arms of the Venus are besides buried, and the spot of burial is lone known to 3 Turkish families who walk connected the concealed from procreation to generation. But those arms volition not travel to airy until Venus is reintegrated into the homeland.”

The archetypal presumption of the arms

Researchers crossed the satellite person debated what presumption the Venus de Milo’s arms were successful and what enactment they whitethorn person been portrayed arsenic carrying retired earlier they were lost.

Hypotheses astir the gestures of the Venus de Milo. Louvre depository (Paris, France). Credit: Public domain

Some judge that the close limb is holding the tunic astatine the hep successful bid to forestall the garment from slipping, portion the near limb possibly is holding the pome that was offered to Aphrodite during the judgement of Paris.

Others person speculated that she whitethorn person been leaning connected a pillar oregon holding a crown, mirror, oregon shield. Other theories suggest that the statue did not correspond Aphrodite astatine each but alternatively Artemis holding a bow, oregon perchance a Danaid holding an amphora, oregon adjacent Amphitrite holding a trident.

Amphitrite was popularly worshiped connected the land of Milos.

In the 1950s the “thread spool theory” emerged erstwhile an antiquities adept recovered that the Venus resembled different rotating statue, arsenic good arsenic a ceramic painting.

The American student and adept connected archaeology Elizabeth Wayland Barber reaffirmed this mentation successful her book, “Women’s Work: The First 20,000 Years: Women, Cloth, and Society successful Early Times,” saying that the Venus de Milo could beryllium spinning fabric due to the fact that women commonly made and wore covering created from specified fibers astatine the clip successful which the portion was created.

Perhaps we volition ne'er cognize the information down this astir celebrated sculpture from past Greece; however, the enigma down it has made it adjacent much beauteous and intriguing. The archaeological facts surrounding the Venus’s find person turned this past statue into 1 of the world’s astir debated masterpieces.