'Aphrodite and the Gods of Love'

Dedicated to Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, the exhibition present 160 works, some of them on loan for the first time

Boston, 12/29/11

For the first time the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston presents an exhibition exclusively dedicated to Aphrodite and his kingdom. The devotees of the goddess will no longer have to travel to Mount Olympus in Athens or Cyprus temples, to pay homage to the goddess, whose image was the first female nude in Western art history. Boston is closer, especially for Americans. To make it possible to have gathered some 160 works from the collection of Greek and Roman Art, along with several other United States collections and over 13 major lending - 9 of whom come from Rome and Naples –, some on loan first time, like the Sleeping Hermaphrodite.

The first rooms explain the birth of Aphrodite - Venus to the Romans – in Cyprus, its roots in mythology which enjoyed cult, its influence on marriage, the concept of beauty and the role of Eros and other gods played in ancient Greece. For Greek women, Aphrodite gave the man power in war and in love. To illustrate these facts have been chosenparts of a votive relief of Aphrodite and her devotees (of Edward Perry Warren collection donated to the museum), like the beautiful Head of Aphrodite (330-300 AD) or Aphrodite emerging Sea Foam (1 st century BC). The scene is represented equally in the small vessel for scented oil, which is also included in the sample, placed his hand, with the addition of two winged Eros.

Other important works are the sculptures in marble: Aphrodite or Roman woman of the imperial period or the terracotta statue of Aphrodite barefoot or the extraordinary Capua Aphrodite (Roman 117-38 a, BC) loaned by the Archaeological Museum of Naples.

Open until February 20, 2012. MPR

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    Statuette of Aphrodite emerging from the sea. Greek or Roman, 1st century BC or 1st century AD. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

     

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    Bathing vessel (loutrophoros) with a bridal procession. Greek, 450–425 BC. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

     

  • Head of Aphrodite (Bartlett Head). Greek, 330–300 BC. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

     

  • Statuette of Eros wearing the lionskin of Herakles. Greek, 1st century BC. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

     

 

Statuette of Aphrodite emerging from the sea. Greek or Roman, 1st century BC or 1st century AD. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.