A lot has been written about this little (under half life-sized) lady from Pompeii, in terms of how Roman consumers digested Greek sculptural types and harnessed them into interior decor during the waning years of the Republic and early decades of the Empire.
But mostly she has attracted attention because of her extraordinary golden ‘bikini’, preserved so bewitchingly on her otherwise nude body of Parian marble. Bikini is a bit of a misnomer of course and the ensemble is far more elaborate, with those armlets and belly chain. Ooh la la! Given that so very many ‘copies’ of Aphrodite in this general format survive (we’re talking hundreds!), these gilded undergarments are certainly the most interesting things about her (not to be catty… perhaps she is a gifted conversationalist).
They certainly ratchet up the goddess’s erotic appeal. Early Neapolitan museum curators certainly thought so and relegated her to the ‘Gabinetto Segreto’ – the annex originally designed to shield Pompeii’s spicier finds from more delicate visitors. Priapus, too, is an ardent and excited admirer and, although crucially damaged, provides cheerful support as our beauty bends to adjust her sandal.
