Venus - the goddess - was revered as the benefactor of a happy married life, as the deity of a woman. She was the patroness of gardens, the goddess of fertility and the flowering of all the fruitful forces of nature. According to legend, the goddess Venus was the mother of the Trojan hero Aeneas, whose descendants became the founders of Rome. Therefore, there were a large number of altars and shrines to the goddess in Rome.
Early Venus
The image of the goddess Venus in ancient myths is far from romanticism. According to one of the early versions of her origin, the goddess came out of the sea foam, which was formed from the blood of castrated Uranus. In this myth, Venus - the goddess - was more the patroness of spring and life, and not the goddess of love. Early sculptures depict not a capricious beautiful woman, but a strong and powerful goddess, in whose hands are the attributes of a hetaera: a bouquet of flowers and a mirror. And the most important difference - in the early images, Venus - the goddess of love - is dressed, only one shoulder is bare.
History of Venus de Milo
The image of Venus, the goddess of beauty and love, personifiesmany sculptures and statues, but the image embodied in them is strikingly different. Venus de Milo, exhibited in the Louvre, in the department of ancient art, is considered the most famous image of the great goddess.
This statue was discovered in 1820 by a Greek peasant on the island of Milos. He wanted to sell his find as profitably as possible and hid it in a paddock. There she was discovered by French officer Dumont d'Urville. The officer was educated enough to understand what a masterpiece this statue of the Greek goddess of beauty and love is. It is believed that this Venus - the goddess - held an apple in her hand, which Paris handed her.
The peasant asked for a lot of money for the antique statue, which the Frenchman did not have. While the officer was negotiating with the museum in France, the peasant had already managed to sell the statue of the goddess to an official from Turkey.
The officer tried to steal the statue, but the Turks quickly discovered it was missing. A scuffle ensued over a priceless sculpture. During the fight, the hands of the goddess were also lost, which have not been found to this day.
But even without hands and with gaps, Venus - the goddess - captivates with her beauty and perfection. Looking at her correct proportions, at the flexibly curved body, you simply do not notice these flaws. This antique sculpture has conquered the world with its femininity and beauty for almost two centuries.
Assumptions regarding the placement of the hands of the goddess
There is an assumption that the goddess Venus was holding an apple in her hands. But then how were her hands positioned? But thisThe assumption was later rejected by the French scientist Reinach, which aroused even greater interest in the ancient statue. It is believed that the statue of Venus is only one of several sculptural compositions. Many researchers supported this assumption, believing that Venus was depicted with Mars, the god of war. In the 19th century, they tried to restore the statue of the goddess and even wanted to attach wings to it.
Now the goddess, surrounded by legends, is in the Louvre in a small room in the hall of ancient arts. The exhibits in this section do not stand in the middle of the hall, so the low sculpture of Venus is visible from afar. If you get closer to her, it seems that the rough surface of the goddess is alive and warm.
