Archaeological Museum of Bologna

The statue depicts a cult statue of Aphrodite, created in the Hellenistic age at Aphrodisias, a city of Eastern Caria (Asia Minor) close to the current Gierah (Turkey), where the goddess was worshiped as a local manifestation of the "Great Mother", ancient Anatolian divinity.

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The goddess, standing with bended arms and pushing out her hands, is wearing a flounced gown decorated with motifs alluding to dominion over the world of nature, the heavens, the sea and the earth, expressed through symbolic images. The sun and the moon are depicted on top, followed by the Graces, associated with the cornucopia, the symbol of abundance; below, Aphrodite Pelagia is riding a sea-goat, and on the bottom flounce we can see three Erotes bearing bows, arrows and garlands.

The large number of replicas of this statue that were found in Rome, where Marsili purchased this one, testifies to the extensive circulation of Eastern cults in the West.

Provenance: University Collection (formerly the Marsili Collection)
Datation: 2nd century AD
Material: Marble; the head and hands in black marble, and the turned right forearm and crown are modern restorations
Dimensions: height cm 36
Inventory #: G 1078