The

statuette A figurine (a diminutive form of the word ''figure'') or statuette is a small, three-dimensional sculpture that represents a human, deity or animal, or, in practice, a pair or small group of them. Figurines have been made in many media, with cla ...

Aphrodite Aphrodite ( ; grc-gre, Ἀφροδίτη, Aphrodítē; , , ) is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion (emotion), passion, and procreation. She was syncretized with the Roman god ...

known as Aphrodite Heyl in the

Antikensammlung Berlin The Antikensammlung Berlin (Berlin antiquities collection) is one of the most important collections of classical art in the world, now held in the Altes Museum and Pergamon Museum in Berlin, Germany. It contains thousands of ancient archaeologica ...

(inventory number 31272) is an especially finely worked

terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta i ...

statue from the second century BC.

Description and history

This depiction of Aphrodite created from terracotta is particularly sinuous and of outstanding quality. The clothing, made from a thin material, has fallen from her right breast and shows more than it covers. Especially around her abdomen, the material is very tight and allows the contours of her body to be clearly recognised. Since the arms and legs have broken off and do not survive, any attributes which would have helped to identify her are lost and her exact nature cannot be determined for sure. Since the goddess is turning her head away from whatever she held in her hands, it is proposed that there was a further figure, probably a small

Eros In Greek mythology, Eros (, ; grc, Ἔρως, Érōs, Love, Desire) is the Greek god of love and sex. His Roman counterpart was Cupid ("desire").''Larousse Desk Reference Encyclopedia'', The Book People, Haydock, 1995, p. 215. In the e ...

, to her right. Her raised left leg encourages one to suspect that there was a column base or a larger construction like a pillar here. Her hair is gathered behind her head and is crowned by a tiara. The front of the 37.6 cm high figure was formed in a

mold A mold () or mould () is one of the structures certain fungi can form. The dust-like, colored appearance of molds is due to the formation of spores containing fungal secondary metabolites. The spores are the dispersal units of the fungi. Not ...

and then reworked, while the rear received less attention. The folds of skin on the neck were traced with a sharp edge. Her pupils are indicated by slight indentations. On the back at hip height is a large, oval hole which was added to prevent trapped air causing the statue to explode when it was fired in the

kiln A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects made from clay int ...

. It is thought that the statuette was made in Myrina in

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...

. This place was famed for its terracotta production, along with

Tanagra Tanagra ( el, Τανάγρα) is a town and a municipality north of Athens in Boeotia, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Schimatari. It is not far from Thebes, and it was noted in antiquity for the figurines named after it. The T ...

Boeotia Boeotia ( ), sometimes Latinisation of names, Latinized as Boiotia or Beotia ( el, wikt:Βοιωτία, Βοιωτία; modern Greek, modern: ; ancient Greek, ancient: ), formerly known as Cadmeis, is one of the regional units of Greece. It is pa ...

. Since the two places reached their apogees at different times, this figure is dated to the second century BC. The figure was originally coloured. There are remains of the

slipware Slipware is pottery identified by its primary decorating process where slip is placed onto the leather-hard (semi-hardened) clay body surface before firing by dipping, painting or splashing. Slip is an aqueous suspension of a clay body, whi ...

in the creases of her drapery, blue traces on the diadem and re-red on her coat. The statue was acquired from the collection of

Maximilian von Heyl Maximilian, Maximillian or Maximiliaan (Maximilien in French) is a male given name. The name "Max" is considered a shortening of "Maximilian" as well as of several other names. List of people Monarchs *Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (1459– ...

in 1930 for the Antikensammlung Berlin - from which the figure received the name by which it is now known. Since then she has been shown in the rooms of the permanent exhibition on the

Altes Museum The Altes Museum (English: ''Old Museum'') is a listed building on the Museum Island in the historic centre of Berlin. Built from 1825 to 1830 by order of King Frederick William III of Prussia according to plans by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, it is ...

Bibliography

Gerhard Zimmer Gerhard Zimmer (born 23 May 1949, Dillingen an der Donau, Germany) is a German classical archaeologist, currently in residence as Professor of Classical Archaeology at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt. He is the author of several ...

: "Tonfigur der Aphrodite", in:

Andreas Scholl Andreas Scholl (born 10 November 1967) is a German countertenor, a male classical singer in the alto vocal range, specialising in Baroque music. Born into a family of singers, Scholl was enrolled at the age of seven into the Kiedricher Chorbu ...

Gertrud Platz-Horster Gertrude or Gertrud may refer to: Places In space *Gertrude (crater), a crater on Uranus's moon Titania *710 Gertrud, a minor planet Terrestrial placenames *Gertrude, Arkansas *Gertrude, Washington * Gertrude, West Virginia People * Gertrude (g ...

(ed.): ''Altes Museum. Pergamonmuseum. Die Antikensammlung.'' von Zabern, Mainz 2007, , p. 113.

External links

* {{coord, 52.5194, N, 13.3983, E, source:wikidata, display=title 2nd-century BC sculptures Aeolian dodecapolis Sculptures of Venus Sculptures of women in Germany Statues in Germany Terracotta sculptures in Germany category:Classical sculptures of the Berlin State Museums