Venus Pudica (“Modest Venus” or “Venus of Modesty” [1]) is a classical stance from classical antiquity where a nude female raises her right hand in an attempt to conceal her breast while her left hand tries to hide her pubic area. [2]
Origin
The type derives from the Aphrodite of Knidos by Praxiteles. [3] Goffen wrote: "Supposedly surprised by a worshiper as she steps from her bath- the statue apparently set in a pool for water - the goddess conceals herself as best as she can, placing one arm across her breast and the other over her pudenda: She is literally modest or ashamed (pudica) but provocative at the same time." [4]
Analysis
Nigel Spivey argues that when making the Aphrodite of Knidos, her iconography can be attributed to Praxiteles creating the statue for the intent of being viewed by male onlookers. [5] Others critics have also pointed that [6]
Examples
Notes
- ^ Clark, 86
- ^ "Modest Venus (Venus Pudica)". Walters Art Museum. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ Goffen, 73–74
- ^ Goffen, 74
- ^ Spivey, Nigel (2013). "8. Revealing Aphrodite". Greek Sculpture. Cambridge University Press. p. 181. doi: 10.1017/9780521760317.010. ISBN 9781316179628. S2CID 239158305.
- ^ Morris, Ian (1994). Classical Greece: Ancient Histories and Modern Archaeologies. Cambridge University Press. p. 84. ISBN 9780521456784.
References
- Goffen, Rona, Titian's "Venus of Urbino", 1997.
- Clark, Kenneth, The Nude, A Study in Ideal Form, orig. 1949, various edns, page refs from Pelican edn of 1960
[[ Category:Sculptures of Venus ]]