CAG.0920 Domenico Brucciani & Co. (after Alexander of Antioch), Bust of Venus de Milo, undated, plaster, 78 x 53 x 36 cm. Transferred, Royal Cork Institution, c.1849.

Love is in the air with this WORK OF THE WEEK!

Bust of Venus de Milo presents a likeness of one of the most famous figures in Western Art and yet you might not think it at first…

This bust is a partial cast of the original 2-metre-tall statue (c.150 BCE) known as Venus de Milo or Aphrodite of Melos, which was discovered on the Greek island of Melos (Milos or Μήλος) in 1820. Set upon a low plaster stand, it is comprised of head, shoulders, and chest but, even in this form, the famed sculpture’s truncated arms are apparent.

It is a representation of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, lust, passion, procreation, sexuality, and – through Venus, her Roman equivalent – of desire and sex. In ancient times, both goddesses inspired cults that worshipped and celebrated in their honour, particularly during the Aphrodisia and Veneralia festivals. In mythology, an intersex child was born to Aphrodite and Hermes, the messenger god, named Hermaphroditus.

This bust itself was made by Domenico Brucciani (1815-1880), the leading plaster cast maker (formatore) in London during the nineteenth century. In an age when photography was in its infancy and long before digital reproduction, he specialised in high-quality casts that were purchased by likes of The British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A).

Displayed in our Sculpture Galleries, Bust of Venus de Milo is one of several casts in the Collection that were transferred from the Royal Cork Institution in c.1849.

Fun Fact: This and other Brucciani casts are identifiable by a maker’s mark which, in this case, can be found on the reverse of the bust’s stand!

Domenico Brucciani maker's ark. Photo: Abbey Ellis.