Italian 19th Century Carved Marble Bust after the Antique

This bust conceived as an exterior garden ornament is from the antique and was carved, circa 1820-1850. While not exactly like the head of the Venus De Milo the work clearly is an interpretation and shares with other classical statues aspects of the Loatelli Venus, the Aphrodite of Capua and the Cnidian Aphrodite. The last two works by Praxtiles are the most closely related and show beauty in women as Gods and Humans combined. All these works are Roman Copies of Greek bronzes. The difference between the Greek Aphrodite and the Roman Venus is basically slight variations on the theme of Love and Beauty. Both versions were very common in Greece and Roman as important statuary themes and can be found in many similar statues from a long historical context with similar hair and facial features all streaming from a central ideal captured here thousands of years after the fact. This bust carved in Italy was certainly made to populate a garden whose theme was classical antiquity and whose identity would have been easily recognized to 19th century people. The Grand Tour and its educational aspects were very important to a large group of socially aspiring individuals and a tour of Italy, the acquisition of souvenirs and educational reminders of what was learned and studied would have been brought back and placed in view to show the owners worldliness. Set up on a socle of the same period the bust is impressive but manageable and has a nice old exterior surface.