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 cl ...

Aphrodite Aphrodite ( ; grc-gre, Ἀφροδίτη, Aphrodítē; , , ) is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, and procreation. She was syncretized with the Roman goddess . Aphrodite's major symbols include ...

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 archaeological ...

(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 ceramic glaze, unglazed or glazed ceramic where the pottery firing, fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, a ...

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 earli ...

, 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 fungus, fungi can form. The dust-like, colored appearance of molds is due to the formation of Spore#Fungi, spores containing Secondary metabolite#Fungal secondary metabolites, fungal seco ...

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 re ...

. 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 Ta ...

Boeotia Boeotia ( ), sometimes Latinized as Boiotia or Beotia ( el, Βοιωτία; modern: ; ancient: ), formerly known as Cadmeis, is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Central Greece. Its capital is Livadeia, and its lar ...

. 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, which ...

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 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 Mitte (locality), historic centre of Berlin. Built from 1825 to 1830 by order of King Frederick William III of Prussia according to plans by Karl Friedrich ...

Bibliography

* Gerhard Zimmer: "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 Chorbuben ...

, Gertrud Platz-Horster (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