Torso of Venus (1–200 CE): Art, History and Details

Torso of Venus (1–200 CE) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

As avid collectors of Greek art, ancient Romans valued sculptures for their aesthetic qualities. This torso of Venus was likely inspired by the popularity of Praxiteles's nude Aphrodite from the Greek city-state of Knidos on the western coast of Asia Minor. Displayed in a circular shrine, it became one of the most celebrated sculptures in classical antiquity.

Object facts

• Title: Torso of Venus
• Date: 1–200 CE
• Culture: Roman
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: marble
• Dimensions: Overall: 64.2 cm (25 1/4 in.); with base: 78.8 cm (31 in.)
• Collection: GR - Roman
• Department: Greek and Roman Art
• Accession number: 1926.565

Collection credit

Dudley P. Allen Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Noelle, Alexander J., and Cleveland Museum of Art. Filippino Lippi and Rome. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2025.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.