Group of Aphrodite with Eros

Roman art

The fragmentary sculptural group, of unknown provenance, depicts Aphrodite accompanied by her son Eros. The goddess of love and sensuality is balanced on her right leg, captured in the gesture of bringing her right hand towards her raised left foot to unfasten her sandal while she holds out her left arm to keep her balance as her whole body twists.

The subject was extraordinarily popular in the ancient world, as attested by small-scale replicas in terracotta, marble and bronze, as well as the coins from Aphrodisias, Caria, with over two hundred examples in different materials and mediums. This type is a specifically Hellenistic creation, from the final decades of the 3rd century BCE, possibly a votive offering dedicated at a sanctuary in Asia Minor.

The Borghese replica, which probably served to decorate private rooms, can be dated to the Hadrianic period.

Object details

Commentary

The sculptural group, of unknown provenance, has only been part of the Borghese collection since 1833. First exhibited in Room III, in 1888 it was moved to Room V, where Venturi recalls its presence.

The torso shows a female figure standing on her right leg, leaning forward in the gesture of slipping off or undoing a sandal on her left foot. This movement favours the formation of thin folds at the height of the navel. The small breasts are cone-shaped, the thighs fleshy; the body is almost nude: on the left shoulder, drapery runs down the arm to below the left buttock, rendered with wide folds at the top and deep ones at the bottom, with a skilful use of the drill. On the back, the transitions are blurred, while the groove of the spine is clearly visible. Standing on the left leg of the female figure is a small chubby cupid with wavy hair and lively eyes.

Notwithstanding the fragmentary nature of the Borghese group, it is easy to recognise it as one of the numerous replicas of “Aphrodite undoing her sandal”, or “sandalenlösende Aphrodite” according to the conventional German term, or “Sandalbinder” according to the English one. This group was extremely popular throughout the Mediterranean world from the Hellenistic period to Late Antiquity (Bernoulli 1873, pp. 329-341; Anti 1927; Delivorrias et al. 1984, pp. 57-58, nos. 462-474; Angiolillo 2010; Lesswing 2015, Colzani 2018).

In fact, beyond its many variants, the defining pattern is clearly identifiable in the female figure balancing on her right leg, caught in the gesture of bringing her right hand towards her raised left foot while her left arm stretches out to balance and offset the overall twisting of her body. The presence of Eros, substituted in other examples by Priapus, dolphins or supports in the form of a vase, helps to identify the figure as Aphrodite/Venus.

The act of slipping her sandal off her left foot, no longer preserved in our version, provides the narrative frame to the scene, and is unanimously interpreted as an erotic gesture: the goddess is in fact freeing herself of the last garment she is wearing while preparing for a bath, or an imminent sexual union (Cultraro, Torelli 2009, pp. 184-190).

The subject was extraordinarily popular in the ancient world, as confirmed by the small-format replicas in terracotta (the oldest from Taranto and archaeologically datable between 225 and 175 BCE), in marble and bronze and on micro-Asiatic coins, with over two hundred examples in different materials and mediums. This type is a Hellenistic creation and can be classified among the bathing Aphrodites inspired by the Aphrodite of Knidos, despite the presence of an iconographic tradition dating back to the second half of the 5th century, documented both in sculpture (see Nike from the balustrade of the temple of Athena on the Acropolis in the act of bending over to adjust her sandal) and in painting (see Attic pelike, Louvre G 549, red-figure, dated c.440 BCE).

The circulation of the exclusively small-format type resulted in the exclusion of an original religious function for the archetype, which is assumed to have been a votive offering dedicated in a Mediterranean sanctuary. In particular, the large number of examples from the micro-Asiatic area and the finding of coins minted in Aphrodisias, Caria and Apollonia in Mysia seem to support the accepted hypothesis that the original was found in Asia Minor. Finally, the derivation from the canons of Lysippos suggests that the original type can be dated to the final decades of the 3rd century BCE.

As for the Borghese replica, on the other hand, the sculptural technique, the type of drapery, the Eros’ hair created with the drill and easily comparable to that of the Erotes on urban sarcophagi of the Hadrianic age, suggest such a chronological horizon. As for the context of destination, on the basis of the information available for the other replicas, although display in public spaces (such as Athens, at the Dypilon) or in sacred areas (such as Cyrene, in the temple of Aphrodite) cannot be ruled out, it is highly plausible that they decorated niches or other display points in private settings or dwellings (similar to Pompeii or Oplontis).

Jessica Clementi