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Callipygian Venus

Italian, ca. 1853
H. 54.5”
Original location: On the parapet of the house
Location of original statue: McWhorter Hall

After a first century Roman statue that is a copy of a Greek Hellenistic original; the Callipygian Venus is one of the most famous statues that is a part of the Farnese collection. By the sixteenth century this collection was second only to the Catholic Church’s collection. [Haskell pp11-12] The statues in this collection would influence the classical revival of the eighteenth century. The Farnese statues form the nucleus of the Museo Nazionale in Naples where the original Callipygian Venus is today. The popularity of the Callipygian Venus by the eighteenth century resulted in copies being made in all media. While its popularity declined in the nineteenth century because of the erotic nature many nineteenth century copies survived. [Haskell, pp316-318]

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