Aphrodite of Ostia

Charles Townley was a grand tourist and collector of classical antiquities, and in 1791 was elected onto the board of trustees of the British Museum in London. He took an active part in the management of the Museum until his death in 1805. His large collection was left to the British Museum on the condition that the sculptures, including this one, should be exhibited in a purpose-built gallery.

This Aphrodite, adapted from or at least influenced by Praxiteles, was found in Ostia, the harbour city of ancient Rome. It seems to be a mirror image of the Aphrodite of Arles

Number

235

Material

Marble

Location of Original

London British Museum 1574

Size

2.00m

Accession

Transferred from the Fitzwilliam Museum in 1884

References

Lippold: Griechische Plastik, 242 (n.3)
Walston: Catalogue of Casts in the Museum of Classical Archaeology (1889), 96, no.523
Smith: Catalogue of British Museum Sculpture III (1904), 28
Bulle: Der Schöne Mensh im Altertum (1922), 112, pl. 160
Vaughan in Journal of the History of Collections, vol.3, no.2 (1991), 188

Date

C1-2 CE Roman. Original: late C4 BCE

Sculptor

School of Praxiteles

Provenance

Found in Ostia in 1775

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