Ludovisi Throne

myminifactory

The front of this three-sided relief depicts the birth of Aphrodite emerging from sea-foam held by two Horai, goddesses of nature and seasons. One of them wears a peplum on the left and a chiton on the right. On the right side, a young nude female figure plays a double flute while a woman on the left wearing a mantle places incense in a burner. Both figures are identified as priestesses of Aphrodite representing sacred and profane love. The term 'throne' dates back to when this piece was found near Via Sardegna in Rome, initially thought to be a throne for a divinity or an enclosure for a colossal votive statue or even a balustrade for a stairway. It's now believed to be the upper part of an altar. Another interpretation suggests that the frontal figure is Persephone returning every spring to Earth from the Underworld repeating the endless cycle of seasons. Stylistic analysis and comparison with terracottas from Magna Graecia date this sculpture to 460-450 B.C., possibly originating from Locri Epizefiri like the Ludovisi acrolith.