Aphrodite of Milos

This larger than life sculpture depicts the goddess of beauty, Venus, and it displayed in the Lourve. The missing arms have always provided viewers of this work with something to ponder. It is generally accepted however that the right arm stretched across the body down to her knee to hold up the falling drapery. The pattern and creasing of the drapery is consistent with this theory. Some believe that her left arm reached out to hold an apple. She was originally intended for a niche in a gymnasium and would have been painted and adorned with real jewelry. Sculpted from all sides however, perhaps she was intended for more open viewing instead of just placed in a niche. Either way, her body is true to the form of a voluptuous female and serves to glorify that form.