Aphrodite, known as the Venus Vulgaris

This statuette made in carrara marble (a special kind of Italian marble), is a variant of the Aphrodite Genetrix type, developed in the late 5th century BC. Aphrodite (Venus to the Romans) rests her foot on a shell in reference to her marine birth. In the 16th century, the shell was misinterpreted as a uterus and the statue was restored as a Venus Vulgaris or Pandemos, linked to sexuality in its most profane form. The goddess is holding the wings of a cupid, an allusion to the activities of her son, Eros (Cupid).