Venus Medicean - "Hellas fiery favorite creature"

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

Venus Medicea. Marble. Height 1.53 m. First century BC. e. Ancient heritage. Acquired by the Medici family in 1677 from the collection of antiquities of the Vatican. Located in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

Nakhodka

The sculpture of Venus Medicea is somewhat of a mystery. The exact date of its discovery is not fixed. It is only known that it was found in the ruins of the villa of the Roman Emperor Hadrian near Rome in Tibula. She gave off a feeling of freshness and cleanliness without a touch of playfulness or sentimentality.

Having entered the collection of the Vatican, she delighted his guests until 1677, when suddenly the Pontiff Innocent XI decided about her obscenity and sold her to the Medici family in Florence. Venus Medicea or, as it is often called, Venus Medici, was considered a miracle of art there. It was assumed that she had a bronze original, created based on Aphrodite of Cnidus Praxiteles. It is not known for certain who the author of the marble copy is, although there is an inscription in Greek on the pedestal “Cleomenes, son of Apollodorus of Athens”. The original is believed to have been cast in bronze by a student of Praxiteles.

Aphrodite in brief

Venus, daughter of Zeus, was born when Cronus and Uranus fought, and their blood fertilized the sea. A little frightened Venus Medicea emerges from its snow-white foam.

She is accompanied by a dolphin and two cupids, who at the same time serve as her steady support. In almost all countries of the world in parks, museums and grottoes there are copies of it, more or less close to the original Medici. There are also in Russia. In our country, copies of it could be seen at the beginning of the 19th century in many we althy noble houses, for example, in the estate of Count Sheremetyev, as well as in the park of Peterhof and at the Academy of Arts. Aphrodite, embodied in strict classical forms, was enthusiastically sung by poets, and critics were unanimous in praise. The statue of Venus Medicea is perfect in terms of high craftsmanship and depth of image disclosure: she is modest and shy and does not realize the power of her beauty.

Her perfectly tall, harmoniously proportioned body is combined with a perfectly beautiful face: a straight nose, large eyes, a mouth that is one and a half times the size of one eye, rounded eyebrows, and above them - a low forehead. Later, she will conquer all the celestials with her charms on Olympus.

Move work

The sculpture was stolen from Italy in 1800 by Napoleon's troops and brought to Paris in 1803, and returned to its homeland only fifteen years later, where it is now.

What was established in the 21st century?

In 2012, it was found thatoriginally, the sculpture had gilded hair and red lips. In addition, the researchers found that holes were made in her ears for earrings. But all this was damaged by the unsuccessful restoration of 1815, which was made by the Italians together with the French.

The delight of young Ivan Turgenev

At the age of nineteen, Ivan Sergeevich, perhaps in the gardens of Peterhof or at the Academy of Arts, saw a copy of a perfect creation by an unknown master - Venus Mediceus. This work shocked him and inspired him to compose an enthusiastic poem. It was written in 1837 and published by P. A. Pletnev as anonymous in the fourth issue of the Sovremennik magazine. Referring to Venus Medicea, Turgenev used twelve exclamation points in eleven stanzas, consisting of six lines. The romantically enthusiastic work is written in iambic two-footed with pyrrhic. In the first six lines, three exclamation points emphasize the beauty of the goddess of another generation. In the second stanza, the author assures that only the ardent children of the South could create such a captivating work. The third stanza says that the people of the North cannot understand their ardor and love, because their souls have withered.

The author believes that the careless Hellenes knew three goals in life: the desire for glory, for death for the homeland and for love. The fourth and fifth stanzas describe the birth of Aphrodite under a luxurious bright sky in the waves of Cyprus. On a clear day, a marshmallow fell to the water element, and Beauty was born from the snow-white foam and emerged from the waves. Wanting a kissthe vault of the sky bent down at her, the marshmallow respectfully caressed her, and the abyss of water clung to her feet. Olympus accepted Aphrodite, and the Greeks built temples for her, calling her the soul of heaven and earth. Priestesses sang hymns to her in temples and smoked incense. But everything is gone. The temples were destroyed by the Persians, and for a long time the virgins did not sing hymns to Aphrodite. Under the chisel of Praxiteles, beauty reappeared, which does not know decay and destruction. As of old, people can contemplate the divine features, remaining silent in front of the immortal beauty that conquered them.

This is how I. Turgenev ends his poem "To Venus Mediceus", which shook him to the core.