"Aphrodite of Cnidus" - a hymn to human and divine beauty

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

"Aphrodite of Cnidus" from the time of its creation to the present day is considered the best sculptural image of the goddess of love. Unfortunately, the original work of the great Praxiteles has not been preserved. However, copies of the sculpture, as well as its images on coins, allow us to capture a piece of the feeling that the masterpiece evoked among the ancient Romans and Greeks.

A brave decision

The statue of the goddess was ordered to the master by the inhabitants of the island of Kos. It was supposed to be placed in the temple. Praxitel created two versions of the sculpture. One, which the customers eventually chose, was made in the traditional manner: the figure of the goddess was covered with elaborate drapery. The second statue, which a little later will be called "Aphrodite of Cnidus", remained for a while in the workshop of Praxiteles. This sculpture depicted a fully naked goddess.

"Aphrodite of Cnidus" was the first such creation in the era of Antiquity. For that time, the decision was quite bold, which is why the inhabitants of the island of Kos preferred a different option. Andwrong. The dressed "Aphrodite" has not been preserved either in the form of copies or in the descriptions of contemporaries. The second statue brought fame not only to Praxiteles, but also to the temple where it was installed.

City of Knidos

The masterpiece created by Praxiteles did not stay long in the workshop. "Aphrodite of Knidos" was bought by the inhabitants of the city, after which she was named later. The statue was installed in an open-air temple, and very soon pilgrims from all over Greece began to flock to it. The city of Knidos began to flourish. "Aphrodite" by Praxiteles, just like other famous sights today, enriched the treasury due to the influx of those wishing to see the sculpture. Ancient Greek historians write that the townspeople even refused to give it to the king of Bithynia Nicomedes I in payment of a very large debt.

Model

Ancient authors claim that the statue of Aphrodite of Cnidus was a sculptural portrait of Praxiteles' beloved. Hetera Phryne, who conquered the master with her beauty, served as a model for the masterpiece. For that time it was unacceptable. One of the rejected admirers of the beauty, as ancient historians say, accused her of godlessness. As they would say now, the case caused a wide resonance. However, the getter was justified. During the trial, at the sign of the defender, Phryne took off her clothes, and the judges, fascinated by her beauty, dropped all charges. However, it was not only the attractiveness of female nudity. In ancient Greece, it was believed that such a beautiful body could not contain a vicious soul.

In favor of the version of the model's existence, according to experts, the beautifully executed face of the goddess speaks. It clearly has individual features, and not just a generalized image of beauty.

Mythological plot

Praxitel captured the goddess at the moment when she is preparing for bathing. According to Greek legends, Aphrodite took a special bath every day. She allowed the goddess to constantly regain her virginity. A naked Aphrodite in one hand holds clothes that fall in folds on a jug. This element performed not only a decorative function: it was an additional support for a high sculpture.

The statue reached a height of two meters. Praxiteles made it from marble, a material, in his opinion, to a greater extent than, for example, bronze, capable of conveying the tenderness and translucency of the skin, the play of surface shades.

Copies

"Aphrodite of Knidos", whose photo can be seen in the article, unfortunately, is not the original. During the heyday of Byzantium, the statue was sent to Constantinople, where it perished along with many other masterpieces of Antiquity. However, copies of the sculpture of the great master have been preserved. Today there are about fifty of them.

The best preserved copies are located in the Glyptothek (Munich) and the Vatican Museum. Of particular interest is the torso of the goddess, located in the Louvre. Many researchers of Greek culture tend to believe that it is he who gives the best idea of the original. Unfortunately, copies are not transmitted in full.the impression that Praxiteles' masterpiece produced.

Inspirer

"Aphrodite of Knidos" was not just an object of universal adoration and a cult statue. Young men fell in love with her, poems were dedicated to her. The statue has always been a source of inspiration for many artists. And in the past century, Praxiteles' masterpiece has not been forgotten. The great mystifier Salvador Dali used the image of the goddess when creating his painting “The Appearance of the Face of Aphrodite of Cnidus in the Landscape”. However, this work of the artist is known to many not from reproductions in museums.

In 1982, the first perfume fragrance of the Salvador Dali line appeared. For the design of the box and bottle design, the artist used his own painting. The fragrance is based on his favorite roses and jasmine. The box contains a miniature reproduction of the painting. The bottle is made in the form of a nose and lips, also depicted on the canvas and copied from the statue of Praxiteles.

"Aphrodite of Cnidus", though preserved only in the form of copies, is rightfully considered one of the best works of ancient Greek sculptors. She embodies the ancient standard of beauty, one might say, is the calling card of the era with its desire for harmony of spirit and body, the glorification of both earthly and heavenly things at the same time. The special merit of Praxiteles as a master is in the ability to express similar things in marble, as well as in his ability to create a tender young body from stone, so carefully crafted that it seems alive.