Venus in Arms
Unknown · Second century AD
Venus has taken the weapons of Mars. She stands naked, hair knotted at the crown, a sword belt slung across her chest, while a small Cupid at her side struggles to lift a plumed helmet far too heavy for him. The support beside her is a trophy of armour: a cuirass with hanging straps, a greave and a piece of drapery, with a shield and a helmet ornament worked into it. The idea, a favourite of Roman art, is that love disarms war, and the goddess wears the soldier's gear as a plaything.
The body is of Parian marble and was found in Rome in the sixteenth century. The head is ancient but does not belong; it was mounted on the torso in modern times, and two campaigns of restoration supplied the right arm, the left hand holding the sword, parts of the belt and legs, as well as Cupid's left arm and the crest of the helmet. The group was bought in 1807 with the Borghese collection, the great purchase by which Napoleon brought hundreds of Roman marbles to the Louvre.
Did You Know? The head is ancient but from another statue, and the sword in the goddess's hand was made by a modern restorer.
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