3-039-430 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Statuette of Venus, A.D. 100-250. Additional Info: Romans kept small statues of gods as part of household shrines. In wealthy homes, such statuettes were often carved in precious materials--gold, silver, or ivory. This silver statuette depicts a goddess leaning against a short column. Her extended left hand probably once held a phiale or shallow bowl, and her raised right hand a scepter or staff. A diadem adorns her head and a bracelet encircles her upper arm. The way in which her garment falls off her shoulder indicates that this statuette represents Venus, the goddess of love.