Bronze statuette of Venus
Unknown Artist
ca. 1st–2nd century CE
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
H. 4 in. (10.2 cm)
Classification
Bronzes
Culture & Period
Roman · Imperial
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, 1896
Accession Number
96.9.408
Tags
Art Historical Context
This charming bronze statuette of Venus dating to the 1st–2nd century CE, the Roman goddess of love and beauty a compact form, standing just 4 inches (10.2 cm) tall. Crafted during the Imperial period, when Rome's empire spanned continents, such small-scale bronzes were everyday treasures—likely adorning private homes, gardens, or portable shrines as objects of devotion or decoration. Venus, equivalent to the Greek Aphrodite, symbolized fertility, victory, and imperial patronage, making her image ubiquitous in Roman culture. Bronze was a prized medium for Roman sculptors, valued for its durab...