Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Venus
(Roman Empire )
Many religions were syncretistic, meaning that as they grew and came into contact with other religions, they adopted new beliefs and modified their practices to reflect their changing environment. Both Greek and Roman religious beliefs were deeply influenced by the so-called mystery religions of the East, including the Egyptian cult of Isis, which revealed beliefs and practices to the initiated that remained unexplained, or mysterious, to the uninitiated. Most popular Roman cults had associations with these mystery religions and included the prospect of an afterlife.
The cult of Venus (the Roman version of Aphrodite) became combined with that of the Egyptian goddess Isis and enjoyed enormous popularity, especially in Egypt and Syria. Her fleshy, wide-hipped appearance in these images emphasizes her maternal characteristics. Her eyes were originally inlaid.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Borelli-Bey Sale, Paris, 1913, no. 273 [pl. XXVIII]; Dikran Kelekian, Paris and New York, 1913, by purchase; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1913, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 1984 | The Taste of Maryland: Art Collecting in Maryland 1800-1934. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| Examination | Examined | |
| Examination | Examined in preparation for case retro-fit and re-installation. | |
| Treatment | Cleaned | |
| Treatment | Surfaces cleaned and bright corrosion toned in preparation for re-installation | |
| 6/7/1957 | Treatment | cleaned |
| 5/2/1984 | Examination | examined for exhibition |
| 1/1/1995 | Examination | examined for condition |
| 12/21/2000 | Treatment | cleaned; other |
Geographies
Syria
(Place of Origin)
Egypt (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 18 3/8 x W: 7 1/2 x D: 4 11/16 in. (46.6 x 19 x 11.9 cm); mount H: 1 3/8 x W: 5 9/16 x D: 7 3/16 in. (3.5 x 14.2 x 18.2 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1913
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
54.949