Aphrodite with Sword
Maker
Fonderia Chiurazzi
(Italian, founded 1870)
Dateearly 20th century
MediumBronze
DimensionsOverall: 50 × 22 × 16 in. (127 × 55.9 × 40.6 cm)
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LineBequest of John Ringling, 1936
Object numberSN5130
Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, is shown in the act of arming herself with a sword. Various cults throughout the archaic Greek world worshiped an armed Aphrodite, erecting wooden statues of her holding a spear and shield. Whether the early <i>xoana</i>, as these cult statues were called, influenced later sculptural representations of an armed Aphrodite is unclear. It is also possible that Hellenistic sculptors were interested in playing with established gender roles by endowing the love goddess with a sword.
On View
On viewLocation
- Museum of Art, Courtyard
