Lely's Venus

Illustration

Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin
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Here the goddess Aphrodite/Venus is surprised as she bathes, her water jar resting under her left thigh. She crouches naked and attempts to cover herself with her arms and expressive hands. Her beautiful head, with its top-knot hair style, is turned nervously to one side, perhaps in the direction of an intruder. This sculpture was probably made in the 1st or 2nd century CE and is a Roman copy of an earlier Greek original. The original sculpture, now lost, may have been of bronze or marble, perhaps dating to the 2nd century BCE. This statue is sometimes known as Lely's Venus, named after the painter Sir Peter Lily. (The British Museum, London)

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About the Author

Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin
Associate Professor of Neurology and lover of the Cradle of Civilization, Mesopotamia. I'm very interested in Mesopotamian history and always try to take photos of archaeological sites and artifacts in museums, both in Iraq and around the world.

Cite This Work

APA Style

Amin, O. S. M. (2016, April 11). Lely's Venus. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/4887/lelys-venus/

Chicago Style

Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. "Lely's Venus." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified April 11, 2016. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/4887/lelys-venus/.

MLA Style

Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. "Lely's Venus." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 11 Apr 2016, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/4887/lelys-venus/. Web. 03 Jul 2025.

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