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HOME :
Classical Antiquities :
Greco-Roman Art : Graeco-Roman Marble Head of Aphrodite Anadyomene
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Graeco-Roman Marble Head of Aphrodite Anadyomene - SK.035
Origin: Mediterranean
Circa: 1
st
Century BC
to 3
rd
Century AD
Dimensions:
4.75" (12.1cm) high
x 4" (10.2cm) wide
Collection: Classical
Medium: Marble
Additional Information: Art Logic—Formerly in a French private collection, acquired in the 1970s, Christie's 2007, French Passport Issued
Location: UAE
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| Description |
“Look at the work of Apelles’ brush;
Kypris,
just rising from the sea, her mother;
how,
grasping her dripping hair with her
hand, she
wrings the foam from the wet locks”
Antipater of Sidon, c. 125 BC
Apelles’ panel-painting – installed in
the
sanctuary of Asklepios on the Island of
Kos –
would become the prototype for one of
the
most iconic representations of Aphrodite
Anadyomene – in Greek, meaning ‘rising
from
the sea.’
For centuries, the legend of the origins
of
Aphrodite Anadyomene – as related by
Athenaeus in 3rd century AD - dwindled
amid
the ranks of forgotten Classical
mythology.
This piece marks a moment of renewed
interest and a renaissance, as it were,
of
classical Greek influence in the late
Hellenic
world, a time when Rome was gearing up
to
change the face of the Mediterranean.
Athenaeus describes as the ancient
artisans
Praxiteles and Apelles watch Phryne take
her
clothes off, let her hair down, and walk
naked
into the sea at Eleusis. Phryne
subsequently
becomes the model for Apelles’ Aphrodite
Anadyomene.
Peculiarly, the masterpiece is scant
mentioned
in the ancient sources and seemingly
remains
forgotten until late Hellenistic times
when it is
suddenly – according to Pliny - rendered
famous by the Greek epithets written in
her
praise.
Apelles’ Anadyomene became the par
excellence of divine female physiognomy
and
highly imitated paragon in sculpture
throughout the ages.
The asymmetrical features appear cut
from
butter; the head is bowed somewhat and
eyes
behold you in the confident gaze of a
woman
intrinsically aware of her own lush
beauty and
admiring glances she receives. The hair
is
parted and filleted in the classical
style.
Conceived at the cusp of changing
traditions –
a break in the evolution of female
sculpture
was set to occur as Rome grew to
dominance –
this piece may be viewed as a last
vestige of
an archetypical classical canon.
A tour de force of grace and linear
charm.
- (SK.035)
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