Venus (Greek Aphrodite) was the goddess of love. In the Roman origin myth, Venus was the mother of Aeneas, the ancestor of the Julian family, which included Julius Caesar and Augustus. Ancient gods often had multiple aspects, described by epithets: for example, Venus was often known as Venus Genetrix (goddess of motherhood). Venus as a goddess of victory – Venus Victrix – is a distinctively Roman goddess, although in Greek myth Aphrodite famously conquered Ares, the god of war. Venus Victrix first appears as a patron goddess of the generals at the end of the Roman Republic: Pompey the Great dedicated a temple to her in Rome in 55 BC; Julius Caesar made ‘Venus Victrix’ the watchword of his soldiers at the battle of Pharsalus in 48 BC, and the goddess was depicted on his personal seal.
Hypothetical reconstruction of Venus Victrix for inscription no.16.
Drawing of the Aphrodite of Perge, Antalya Museum, Turkey.
Venus statue.
Inv. 41. Marble. Second or Third century AD. From the Biscari collection. The figure is presented in the pose known as Venus pudica (modest Venus), recalling a famous statue of Praxiteles. The addition of a garment around her hips recalls a variant typified by the Venus Landolina from Syracuse.
Venus statue by two fragments.
Inv. 1094. Marble. Second-third century AD. From the Biscari collection. An over life-size statue in the Venus pudica (modest Venus), completed with a head (inv. 57) of separate manufacture. The base includes a dolphin wich provides support for the statue, and has a parallel in the Medici Venus.
