Hellenistic Terracotta Statuette of the Crouching Aphrodite

Culture: Greek

Period: 2nd century B.C.

Material: Terracotta

Dimensions: 12 cm high

Price: Sold

Ref: 2684

Provenance: From an old French private collection, auctioned at Drouot on 28 November 1980, lot 127. With copies of the catalogue pages. Thereafter, in another French collection and auctioned in Monte Carlo in January 2022, lot 129.

Condition: Intact

Description: Charming terracotta statuette of the crouching Aphrodite after the model of the Hellenistic sculptor Doidalses, created around 250 B.C. The original bronze sculpture is now lost, but numerous copies indicate that this depiction was already among the most popular and widely circulated works of Hellenistic art in antiquity. Here, the naked Aphrodite crouches beside a small pot and modestly covers her breasts with her right arm. Her clasped thighs further shield her private parts from view. Her hair is plaited into vertical strands and tied into a high bun. The figure of the goddess is cast as a single piece, with the hexagonal pedestal on which she crouches. With nice traces of colour. On one of the outer sides of the pedestal, an old collection label is inscribed with 164.