Aphrodite at the Royal Ontario Museum, Canada

The sculptural type of Venus Genetrix shows the Roman goddess Venus in her aspect of Genetrix (mother), as she was honoured by the Julio-Claudian dynasty of Rome, who followed the precedent of Julius Caesar in claiming her as their ancestor. Through this historical chance, a Roman designation is applied to an iconological type of Aphrodite that originated among the Greeks. On the night before the decisive battle of Pharsalus (48 BC), Julius Caesar vowed to dedicate a temple at Rome to Venus, supposed ancestor of his gens. In fulfilment of his vow he erected a temple of Venus Genetrix in the new forum he constructed. Contemporary references identify the cult statue in the temple as by a certain Greek sculptor, Arkesilaos. Two types, represented in many Roman examples in marble, bronze, and terra cotta, contend among scholars for identification as representing the type of this draped Venus Genetrix. Besides the type described further below, is another, in which Venus carries an infant Eros on her shoulder. This object is part of Scan The World. Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email [e-mail] to find out how you can help.维纳斯·吉纳特里克斯（Venus Genetrix）雕塑类型展现了罗马女神维纳斯作为吉纳特里克斯（Genetrix，即生育母神）的形象，这一形象为罗马尤利乌斯-克劳狄王朝所尊崇——该王朝承袭尤利乌斯·凯撒的先例，将维纳斯奉为自身氏族的推定先祖。借此历史机缘，一个源自希腊的阿佛洛狄忒（Aphrodite）肖像类型被赋予了罗马称谓。公元前48年决定性的法尔萨鲁斯战役前夜，尤利乌斯·凯撒发誓将在罗马为维纳斯修建神庙，他将维纳斯视作自己所属氏族的先祖。为践行誓言，他在自己主持修建的新广场中建立了维纳斯·吉纳特里克斯神庙。同时代文献记载，神庙内的祭奉雕像出自希腊雕塑家阿尔凯西劳斯（Arkesilaos）之手。目前学界存在两种被大量罗马时期大理石、青铜及赤陶（terra cotta）遗存所佐证的雕塑类型，二者均声称对应这件着衣维纳斯·吉纳特里克斯的形象。除下文将详述的类型外，另有一类形象为维纳斯肩扛幼年厄洛斯（Eros）。本作品隶属于「全球扫描计划（Scan The World）」。该计划是由MyMiniFactory推出的非营利性项目，旨在打造覆盖全球各地可全3D打印的雕塑、艺术品及地标建筑的数字档案库，供公众免费获取。本项目为开源社区共建项目，若您身边有优质藏品并希望参与贡献，可发送邮件至[e-mail]了解参与方式。