Venus from Paulenca

Roman sculpture called "Venus from Paulenca". This is a free-standing sculpture made from white marble which represents a woman dressed in a tunic. The sculpture rests on her left leg, which acts as a support, while bending her right leg, which is projected at the height of the knee, with the foot behind. This movement results in a twisting position of the sculpture which makes the left hip stand out and gives the figure a suggestive pose. The figure is dressed in a transparent tunic, tied with a band below the chest, leaving the left breast uncovered. Over the tunic, the figure is wearing an elaborate cloak, the sinuous folds of which, falling heavily to the right of the figure to abruptly turn into a whirl of curves and finally ending between her two legs, complicate the figure due to their Baroque style. The sculpture, both due to its characteristics and its production, in Spanish workshops, must be dated back to the Late Empire period. Venus is an ancient Roman deity of little importance who, initially, protected gardens and ensured the fertilisation of the flowers and the ripening of plants. From the 2nd century BC, she became merged with the Greek goddess Aphrodite. She acquired notable authority in the Roman cult and the month of April was dedicated to her, a period in which the renewal of love is displayed in all of nature.