Barbedienne Venus Milo Antique 19th Century Grand Tour France Anticomania Art

French school of the late 19th century in the style of Barbedienne Venus de Milo Bronze with brown patina H: 35 cm This statue occupies a prominent place in the history of Greek sculpture and the taste for antiquity. It is in fact an original Greek sculpture, dated around 100 BC, fortuitously discovered in 1820 on the island of Melos (called Milo), southwest of the Cyclades, by a peasant, not far from the ruins of an ancient theater. The style, sometimes described as retrospective, is characteristic of the end of the Hellenistic period which reconnects with classical themes while innovating. The creator certainly drew on the experiences of classical Greek art. The Venus de Milo is in fact in the tradition of the theme created two centuries earlier by the sculptor Praxiteles. But the master of the Louvre Aphrodite knew how to free himself from the legacy of the past and demonstrate creative originality. If the facial expression retains a somewhat severe coldness that could be considered classical, the body calls for other comments. Entirely animated by a twisting movement, it fits into all dimensions of space and is truly felt as a work in the round. The moving silhouette, its swirling attitude and the realistic modeling clearly show the genius of the creator of this statue. It was offered on March 1, 1821 to Louis XVIII, who immediately donated it to the Louvre. As soon as it was discovered, the Venus de Milo was unanimously celebrated. Its arrival in France, a real event at the time, was consecrated by the striking of a commemorative medal. And this pious admiration was never to be eclipsed. It owes to this veneration the fact that it was never completed, as was the custom in the 19th century for antique statues that were presented whole. The numerous casts presented here and there in European capitals testified to the craze aroused by the one that the German romantic poet Henri Heine (1797-1856) called Our Lady of Beauty. The sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) praised her splendid belly, as wide as the sea. Still produced today in bronze by the Boutique des musées de France, it is currently on sale (32cm version) at €1,850