Bronze statuette of Aphrodite

In the 4th century Praxiteles sculpted his Aphrodite of Knidos. It was one of the first, accepted, nude sculptures of the female form created at a time when the field was dominated by the heroic nudes of male gods. In the now-lost original, Aphrodite readies for a bath, holding her drapery away from her body. Caught by the gaze of the viewer, she hunches forward slightly to cover her genitals, in what is known as the pudica pose, or modesty pose.

Throughout the Hellenistic period, Greek artists produced very naturalistic depictions of deities, yet this form carried an ideological weight. By depicting goddesses with their genitals covered, the artist communicated the idea that women’s bodies should be hidden.

This 2nd century BCE bronze statue is one of many modeled after Praxiteles' sculpture, although the depictions vary slightly. This version of Aphrodite was not afforded drapery and her hair hangs down her back in a braid, possibly symbolizing a more youthful figure.

Statuette of Aphrodite