Aphrodite of Knidos

Praxiteles. Roman copies of his original made in c 350 BCE. Late Classical Greek. Marble.

This piece was the first fully-nude female sculpture of its time. The deity depicted is Aphrodite, goddess of sexuality and love. Her twisted pose is most sensuous and her expression placid; her hand gently gestures to cover herself in modesty, but fails to really cover much. Praxiteles set a high standard with this piece for following trends of depicting female nudes - natural, realistic, but idealized forms took shape in the region. The combination of athletic idealism with soft textures and shape of the skin became increasingly common in the ancient world.

Greek legend states that once the statue had been completed, Aphrodite had come herself to see it, and was shocked by the likeness of the statue to her own naked body.

Image:

"Aphrodite of Knidos". Available online at http://academics.stonehill.edu/Fine-Arts/SlideArchive/Aphrodite%20of%20Knidos.jpg. Accessed 18 July 2006.

Source:
Havelock, Christine Mitchell. "The Aphrodite of Knidos and Her Successors: A Historical Review of the Female Nude in Greek Art". 1995. Available online at http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/greece/hetairai/aphrodite.html.