Lot 76
AFTER THE ANTIQUE, AN ITALIAN WHITE MARBLE FIGURE OF VENUS ANADYOMENE
LATE 19TH / EARLY 20TH CENTURY
The Line of Beauty: A Collector’s Pursuit
Auction: 01 July 2026 from 10:00 BST
Description
on a tapering fluted serpentine marble pedestal
Dimensions
the figure 42cm wide, 150cm high; the stand 58cm wide, 111cm high
Footnote
The composition derives from the celebrated type of Venus Anadyomene [Venus Rising from the Sea], one of the most enduring and influential representations of the goddess of love in Western art. Originating in Classical antiquity and famously described in relation to the lost masterpiece by Apelles, the subject depicts Venus emerging from the sea after her birth, often wringing water from her hair. The motif enjoyed widespread revival during the Renaissance and Baroque periods, when artists were drawn to its combination of mythological narrative, idealized beauty, and opportunity for the depiction of the female nude.
This work reflects the continued popularity of the Venus Anadyomene theme among later European artists and collectors. The graceful contrapposto, flowing hair, and emphasis on the goddess’s emergence from the water align with a long iconographic tradition that includes notable interpretations by Titian, Ingres, and numerous academic painters of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. As a subject, Venus Anadyomene remained synonymous with ideals of beauty, sensuality, and classical refinement, ensuring its enduring appeal across successive generations of patrons and connoisseurs.