History Of Venus De Milo

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Discovered on the Cycladic Island of Melos in the year eighteen hundred and twenty was the statue of Venus De Milo (Aphrodite). I have deduced after my research that the armless statue was once holding an apple, despite other claims such as the one by Salomon Reinach. Reinach did not believe the Venus De Milo’s discovery was accurately recorded and that the fragments found with her did not belong to her.(2) Reinach also had no account for what she might have been holding. My findings align much more with that of Adolf Furtwängler who strongly opposed Reinach’s ideas of the Venus De Milo.(2) The Venus De Milo is slightly larger than life standing at six feet and seven inches tall. (4) She is carved out of white marble and has a very smooth Her placement in a gymnasium is plausible due to her role in the protection and guidance of young men as they moved into adult hood.(2) The theory of the Venus De Milo belonging in a gymnasium also stems from what was found during her excavation and during later excavations. Two herms, fractions of what are thought to be arms, and a left hand clutching an apple were found at the same time as the Venus De Milo. It was several years later a statue of Hermes was found in the same location. Hermes was considered to be a patron deity of the gymnasium.(2) The Aphrodite shown in the Venus De Milo is one of satisfaction having just won the Judgment of Paris. The Judgement of Paris was a beauty contest held by Prince Paris and the winner would receive a golden apple.(3) Which would be one explanation of the theory of the Venus De Milo holding an apple in her left hand. Another factor into the apple theory is that she comes from Melos which roughly translates to apple in Greek. (2) This depiction of Aphrodite holding out the apple would have caused the visitor to reflect on Melos’s connection to the fruit as well as the connection with the goddess herself. However in the hands of Aphrodite an apple is not just a piece of fruit it correlates with marriage and sexual wants.(2) This can also be interpreted by the sultry way she is covered up. It is in her carelessness and voluptuous posture that you can see that we share our sexuality with the gods, at least where Greek art is concerned. The cloth is hugging onto her form essentially teasing the viewer was not unintentional.(4) As it is believed in her left hand she held an apple it is her right hand that would have been pulling for the fabric in a lame attempt to cover herself. (See Fig. 2) Returning to the myth of the Judgement of Paris, which represents one of the many contradictions with Venus

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