"Aphrodite of Cnidus" - a hymn to the beauty of human and divine

"Aphrodite of Cnidus" from the time of its creation and until today is considered the best sculptural image of the goddess of love. Unfortunately, the original work of the great Praxitel was not preserved. However, copies of the sculpture, as well as its images on coins, allow you to catch a piece of the feeling that caused a masterpiece from the ancient Romans and Greeks.

Bold decision

The statue of the goddess was ordered by the master inhabitants of the island of Kos. It was supposed to be placed in the temple. Praxitel created two variants of sculpture. One, which customers ultimately chose, was done in a traditional manner: the figure of the goddess was covered with elaborate drapery. The second statue, which a little later will be called "Aphrodite of Cnidus," for a time remained in the workshop Praxitel. This sculpture depicted a completely naked goddess.

"Aphrodite of Cnidus" was the first such creation in the era of Antiquity. For that time the decision was bold enough, that's why the inhabitants of the island of Kos preferred another option. And wrong. The clad Aphrodite was not preserved in the form of copies, nor in the descriptions of contemporaries. The second statue brought glory not only to Praxitel, but to the temple where it was installed.

Cnid city

Not long stood in the studio masterpiece, which created Praxitel. "Aphrodite of Cnidus" was bought by the inhabitants of the city, in honor of which it was later called. The statue was installed in the temple in the open air, and very soon pilgrims from all over Greece began to flock to it. The city of Knid began to flourish. The "Aphrodite" of Praxitel's work, as well as other famous landmarks today, enriched the treasury due to the influx of those wishing to see the sculpture. Ancient Greek historians write that the townspeople even refused to give it to the king of Bithynia Nycomed I to pay a very large debt.

Model

Ancient authors claim that the statue of Aphrodite of Cnidia was a sculptural portrait of the beloved Praxitel. Hetera Frina, who conquered the master with her beauty, served as a model for the masterpiece. For that time, it was not permissible. One of the rejected admirers of the beauty, as the ancient historians tell, accused her of atheism. As they would say now, the matter caused a wide resonance. However, the hetaera was justified. During the trial on the defender's sign, Phryne threw off her clothes, and the judges, charmed by her beauty, dropped all the charges. However, it was not just the attractiveness of female nudity. In ancient Greece it was believed that such a beautiful body can not contain a vicious soul.

In favor of the version of the existence of the model, according to experts, says the beautifully executed face of the goddess. It clearly has individual features, and not just a generalized image of beauty.

Mythological plot

Praxitel imprinted the goddess at the moment when she was preparing for bathing. According to Greek legends, Aphrodite took a special bath every day. She allowed the goddess to constantly return her virginity. The nude Aphrodite in one hand holds the clothes, folds flowing onto the jug. This element performed not only a decorative function: it was an additional support of a high sculpture.

The statue reached a height of two meters. Praxitel made it from marble, the material, in his opinion, to a greater extent than, for example, bronze, capable of conveying the tenderness and translucency of the skin, a game of shades of the surface.

Copies

"Aphrodite of Cnidus," a photo of which can be seen in the article, unfortunately, not a script. The statue during the heyday of Byzantium was sent to Constantinople, where she died along with many other masterpieces of Antiquity. However, copies of the sculpture of the great master survived. Today there are about fifty of them.

The most preserved are copies that are located in Glyptoteka (Munich) and the Vatican Museum. Of particular interest is the torso of the goddess, who is in the Louvre. Many researchers of Greek culture tend to believe that it is he who gives a better idea of the original. Unfortunately, the copies do not fully convey the impression that Praxitel's masterpiece produced.

The inspirer

"Aphrodite of Cnidus" was not just an object of universal adoration and a cult statue. Young men fell in love with her, they dedicated poetry to her. The statue at all times remained a source of inspiration for many artists. And in the last century the masterpiece of Praxitel was not forgotten. The great mystifier Salvador Dali used the image of the goddess when creating his painting "The Appearance of the Face of Aphrodite of Cnidus in the Landscape". However, many of this work of the artist is not known for reproductions in museums.

In 1982, the first perfume fragrance of the Salvador Dali line appeared. To decorate the box and design the bottle, the artist used his painting. The basis of the aroma is the favorite roses and jasmine. On the box there is a miniature reproduction of the picture. The bottle is made in the form of a nose and lips, also imprinted on the canvas and copied from the Praxitel statue.

"Aphrodite of Cnidus", even if preserved only in the form of copies, is rightfully considered one of the best works of ancient Greek sculptors. It embodies the ancient standard of beauty, one might say, is the visiting card of the era with its striving for harmony of spirit and body, chanting both the earthly and the heavenly. The special merit of Praxiteles as a master is his ability to express this in marble, and also in his ability to create from a stone a tender young body, so carefully worked out that it seems alive.