Venus Medica - "Hellas is a fiery favorite creature"

Venus is the Medic. Marble. Height 1.53 m. The first century BC. E. Ancient heritage. Acquired by the Medici family in 1677 from the Vatican antiquities collection. Located in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

Find

Sculpture Venus Meditsaiskaya is to a certain extent a mystery. The exact date of its finding is not fixed. It is known only that it was found on the ruins of the villa of the Roman Emperor Hadrian near Rome in Tibul. It gave off a feeling of freshness and purity without a touch of playfulness and sentimentality.

Entering the Vatican collection, she admired his guests until 1677, when suddenly the pontiff Innocent XI made a conclusion about her obscenity and sold it to the Medici family in Florence. Venus Medica, or, as it is often called, Venus de 'Medici, it was considered a miracle of art. It was assumed that she had a bronze original, created on the motives of the Aphrodite of Cnidus Praxitel. The author of the marble copy is not known for certain, although there is an inscription on the pedestal in the Greek language "Cleomenes, son of Apollodorus of Athens". It is assumed that the original was cast from bronze by Praxitel's pupil.

Short information about Aphrodite

Venus, daughter of Zeus, was born when Cron and Uranus fought, and their blood impregnated the sea. From his snow-white foam comes a little scared Venus Medica.

She is accompanied by a dolphin and two cupids, which at the same time serve as a firm support. Almost all countries in the world in parks, museums and grottoes are its copies, more or less close to the original Medici. There are also in Russia. We could see copies of it in the beginning of the XIX century in many wealthy noble houses, for example, in the estate of Count Sheremetyev, as well as in the park of Peterhof and the Academy of Arts. Aphrodite, embodied in strict classical forms, was enthusiastically sung by poets, and critics were unanimous in their praise. The statue of Venus Medicine is perfect by the high skill of execution and by the depth of the disclosure of the image: she is modest and shy and does not realize the power of her beauty.

Its perfectly high body, with harmonious proportions, is combined with a perfectly beautiful face: a straight nose, large eyes, a mouth that is one and a half times larger than one eye, rounded eyebrows, and above them a low forehead. Later, she will conquer with her charm on Olympus all heavenly beings.

Movements of a work

The sculpture was stolen from Italy in 1800 by the troops of Napoleon and brought to Paris in 1803, and returned only after fifteen years, where it is still today.

What was established in the 21st century?

In 2012, it was found out that the sculpture originally had hair gilded and the lips tinted red. In addition, the researchers found that in her ears were made holes for earrings. But all this was damaged by the unsuccessful restoration of 1815, which the Italians did together with the French.

Delight of the young Ivan Turgenev

At the age of nineteen, Ivan Sergeyevich, perhaps in the gardens of Peterhof or at the Academy of Arts, saw a copy of the perfect creation of the unknown master - Venus the Medic. This work shocked him and inspired him to write an enthusiastic poem. It was written in 1837 and published by PA Pletnev as anonymous in the fourth issue of the journal Sovremennik. Turning to Venus Meditseska, Turgenev used twelve exclamation marks in eleven stanzas, consisting of six lines. Romantic-enthusiastic work is written with a double iambic pirrihia. In the first six-verse, three exclamation marks emphasize the beauty of the goddess of another generation. In the second stanza, the author assures us that only the ardent children of the South could create such a captivating work. The third stanza tells us that the people of the North are not given to understand their heat and love, because they have withered the soul.

The author believes that the reckless Hellenes knew three goals in life: the desire for glory, for death for the motherland and for love. The fourth and fifth stanzas describe the birth of Aphrodite under the magnificent light sky in the waves of Cyprus. On a clear day the marshmallow fell to the water element, and from the snow-white foam Beauty was born and emerged from the waves. Wishing a kiss, a vault of heaven bent down to her, her marshmallow caressed her respectfully, and the abyss of water poured down to her feet. Aphrodite received Olympus, and the Greeks put her temples, calling her the soul of heaven and earth. The priestesses sang hymns to her in temples and smoked incense. But it's all over. Temples destroyed the Persians, and long ago the maidens do not sing the Aphrodite hymns. Under the Praxitel's incisor, beauty arose again, which knows no decay and destruction. As an old man, people can contemplate the divine features, keeping silence before the immortal beauty that subdued them.

Thus ends I. Turgenev his poem "To Venus Meditseska", which shocked him to the depths of his soul.