Venus Genetrix at The Louvre, Paris

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 drapedVenus 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.母性维纳斯（Venus Genetrix）雕塑类型展现了罗马女神维纳斯以“母性（Genetrix）”的形象——这一形象受到罗马尤利乌斯-克劳狄乌斯王朝（Julio-Claudian dynasty）的尊崇，该王朝承袭尤利乌斯·凯撒的先例，将维纳斯奉为自身家族的先祖。凭借这一历史契机，一个罗马称谓被应用于源自希腊的阿佛洛狄忒（Aphrodite）图像学类型之中。 公元前48年，在法萨卢斯决战（Battle of Pharsalus）前夜，尤利乌斯·凯撒宣誓将在罗马为这位据称是其氏族（gens）先祖的维纳斯修建神庙。为践行誓言，他在自己主持修建的新广场中设立了母性维纳斯神庙。 同期留存的史料将神庙内的祭祀雕像（cult statue）认定为希腊雕塑家阿尔凯西劳斯（Arkesilaos）的作品。 目前学界有两种拥有大量罗马大理石、青铜及陶土复刻实例的雕塑类型，均被争相认定为该着衣母性维纳斯的原型。除了下文将详述的类型之外，另一种类型中，维纳斯将幼年厄洛斯（Eros）背负于肩头。 本作品隶属于“扫描全球（Scan The World）”项目。该项目是由MyMiniFactory推出的非营利性倡议，旨在打造覆盖全球的可3D打印雕塑、艺术品与地标建筑数字档案库，供公众免费获取使用。“扫描全球”是一项开源的社区共建项目，若您身边存有具有价值的藏品并希望参与贡献，可发送邮件至[e-mail]了解参与方式。