This little Aphrodite was found as part of salvage excavations in 1960 around the ancient site of Baalbek in Lebanon. It is Roman in date (1st-2nd cent. A.D.) and very much part of the hugely popular Late Classical tradition showing the goddess emerging from the sea, wringing the water from her long tresses.
And she is enchanting, not so much for the statuette’s craftsmanship (despite the fancy inlaid nipples, the bronze’s modelling and casting quality is a bit humdrum, if you don’t mind me saying) but because of the gold wire earrings and emerald bead necklace she wears.
Although many retain piercings for earrings, it’s unusual to see surviving ancient Greek and Roman statues kitted out like this, and the extent to which they once were is unclear due to fundamentally problematic evidence: were the ornaments (some improvised) often of perishable materials, or perhaps routinely removed and reused? And in this case, might finery might reflect a persistent Near Eastern tradition of dressing goddesses.
In any case, it’s a wonderful thought is it not, adorning images of the divine as earthly manifestations…
