On This Day April 8 1820: The Venus (Aphrodite) de Milo, maybe the most recognizable of all ancient Greek statues was found

The Venus (Aphrodite) de Milo, maybe the most recognizable of all ancient Greek statues was found.

(Αφροδίτη της Μήλου)
A unique creation of the late Hellenistic period, the 2 metres tall, 900-kilogram marble Venus De Milo statue depicts Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty and love, who is half naked, wearing only a robe tied around her hips.

Initially, it was believed that Venus De Milo (Aphrodite of Milos) was the work of Praxiteles or Skopas. Still, today it is firmly believed that the statue is the work of the sculptor Alexander of Antioch.

In April 1820, in Klima on Milos Island, a farmer named Georgios or Theodoros Kentrotas found the female statue while digging in his field.

A French warship was already located in Milos, looking for Greek sculptures. The crew leader, officer Olivier Boutier, negotiated with the Turks, who did not understand the immense value of the Greek sculpture.

Thus Boutier managed to acquire the Venus De Milo and send it directly to France.

The two missing hands of Aphrodite were destroyed either during the excavation by the French crew or during the transportation to Paris. Still, despite her incredible adventures, Aphrodite remains one of the most exceptional works of art to this day.

Therefore it is no surprise that in the Louvre in Paris, the most visited museum in the world ever, the three most prominent attractions for millions of tourists each year are Leonardo DaVinci’s enigmatic Mona Lisa as well as two Greek sculptures: the Nike of Samothrace and the Venus De Milo.