bavarikon4UDescription
The statuette is a masterpiece of Hellenistic bronze art. It dates to c.100 BC and was found in Berea in the northern Greek territory of Macedonia. In particular, the less corroded back of the figure shows its outstanding quality. The eyes and details of the hood had silver inlays and contrasted with the bronze surface which originally shone like gold.
The statuette depicts a young woman who just got out of the bath. She has not yet dressed and her hair is tucked underneath a hood. Originally, she rested her now lost left arm on a pillar and looked at herself in a mirror held with her right hand.
The torso of the statuette looks like a modern study of the nude. However, the work is not conceived as a mere study in antiquity. Rather, it depicts Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty. The ancient beholder was not attracted through voyeurism or lust, but by the worship of the all-conquering power of love.