Venus de Milo is a well-known marble statue with 203 centimeters height. The sculpture reflects innovations that appeared during the Hellenistic period. It was found in the spring of 1820 on the island of Milos, in Greece.
The poor farmer, who discovered the statue, handed over it to the French and probably got in exchange a relatively good amount for that period. Marquis de Riviere presented it to Louis XVI, who donated it to the Louvre next year, where it is exhibited to this day.
There is a replica of the statue in a museum in Milos, which was later donated by the Louvre. It was created sometime between 150 and 100 BC, and probably represents Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. It consists of several sections which were carved separately (bust, legs, etc.) and then fixed with vertical pegs. The statue was found without hands.
Venus de Milo is considered to be an amazing work of Hellenistic art, which harmoniously combines female beauty and femininity. The goddess originally wore metal jewelry — bracelet, earrings, and headband — of which only the fixation holes remain. The marble may have been decorated with (now faded) polychromy.
There are many speculations about the arms of the statue. One of them is that her left hand held an apple, while the right hand was touching the cloth wrapped around her charming hips. It is a trademark of Milos and certainly one of the most important acquisitions of the Louvre.