Fragment of The Venus of Arles at The Réunion des Musées Nationaux, Paris

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The full sculpture can be seen here. The Venus of Arles stands 1.94-metres-high at the Musée du Louvre. It is crafted from Hymettus marble and dates back to the end of the 1st century BC. Some believe it may be a copy of Praxiteles' Aphrodite of Thespiae, commissioned by courtesan Phryne. In the 2nd century AD, Pausanias mentioned a group at Thespiae in Boeotia (central Greece) featuring Cupid, Phryne and Aphrodite. The Praxitelean style can be detected in the head's resemblance to that of the Cnidian Aphrodite, a work known through copies. If we choose to believe the original Aphrodite of Thespiae was created during his youth (in the 360s BC), it would be a prelude to his fully naked nude c. 350 BC Cnidian Aphrodite. The Venus of Arles was discovered in several pieces at the Roman theatre at Arles. The sculptural program at Arles may have been executed in Italy by Greek artisans. Venus was the divine ancestor of the gens Julia; Arles backed Caesar when Massilia supported Pompey, so it was rewarded in numerous ways. A semi-nude heroic statue of Augustus dominated the sculptural program of the Arles theatre. The Venus was found in 1651 by workmen digging a well at six feet depth, prompting further excavations. After being given to Louis XIV in 1681 to decorate the Galerie des Glaces of Versailles, more excavations were conducted near the theatre's scenae frons but no additional fragments were discovered. The statue was seized from the royal collection during the Revolution and has been at the Musée du Louvre since its inception. A copy is on display in the municipal building in Arles. When restoring the sculpture, royal sculptor François Girardon added attributes to make it more clearly a Venus: an apple in her right hand as won in the Judgement of Paris and a mirror in her left. In 1911, a cast was discovered made from the sculpture's original restoration before Girardon enhanced it, revealing his transformative restorations which included refinishing surfaces and slimming the figure. The result is a mix of Girardon and Greco-Roman styles, keeping the sculpture in storage at the Louvre. The head belongs with the body - an important point since it's the only sculpture retaining its head and the head is Praxitelean, comparable to his Aphrodite of Cnidus. However, the bracelet on her left arm is original, a trait identifying the goddess as seen on the Cnidian Aphrodite. This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is an initiative by MyMiniFactory creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures for public access. It's an open source community effort; if you have interesting items and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how.