The Capitoline Venus--on loan to the United States for the first time--is one of the best-preserved and most famous masterpieces from Roman antiquity. It derives from the celebrated Aphrodite of Cnidos, created by the renowned classical Greek sculptor Praxiteles around 360 BC. Unearthed in Rome in the 1670s, the Capitoline Venus was given in 1752 by Pope Benedict XIV to the Capitoline Museum--the first art museum in the world open to the general public--and was among the trophies that Napoleon Bonaparte seized after his invasion of Italy and took to Paris in 1797. The sculpture was returned in 1816 and quickly became a highlight for travelers in Europe, including Mark Twain, who was inspired to write the short story "The Capitoline Venus." Read more on NGA's website here.
Part of Italy@150, a series of events and activities around Washington and in the United States to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Italy's unification, under the high auspices of the President of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano.
Pictured: The Capitoline Venus, Photo by Rob Shelley © 2011 National Gallery of Art, Washington
West Building, Rotunda
Metro: Archives - Navy Memorial, closest to the West Building
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