Bust of the Knidian Aphrodite

myminifactory

The head of this 2nd-century AD sculpture serves as a Roman copy of the Knidian Aphrodite, renowned sculpture crafted by Praxiteles around 360 BC. Initially housed in the Boncompagni Ludovisi collection, where it was mistakenly identified as Niobe, the work was utilized as a model for a 17th-century restoration of the statue of the Knidian Aphrodite. The Aphrodite of Knidos stands out as one of Praxiteles of Athens' most celebrated works from the 4th century BC. Often referred to as the Venus Pudica ("modest Venus") type, this sculpture and its replicas are characterized by her modestly covering her naked pubis with her right hand. Variants of the Venus Pudica, suggesting an action to cover the breasts, can be seen in the Venus de' Medici and the Capitoline Venus. Regrettably, the Knidian Aphrodite has not survived to this day. It is speculated that the statue was removed to Constantinople (modern Istanbul) where it met its demise in a fire during the Nika riots. Given the widespread copying of this statue throughout ancient times, a comprehensive understanding of its appearance can be derived from existing descriptions and replicas that have endured to the present era.