Forever young : A study of the correspondence between sculptures of Aphrodite and Venus and the female physical ideal in ancient literature

Abstract: This study aims to explore how the goddesses of beauty Aphrodite and Venus were portrayed in sculpture in comparison to physical beauty, as attested in ancient texts. The study uses iconography and iconology to analyse the sculptures and semiotics to analyse the ancient texts. In this study measurements were taken of Aphrodite and Venus sculptures at Berlin’s plaster museum (Abguss-Sammlung Antiker Plastik). The measurements were taken in order to compare the results from the ancient texts. In this study, 11 sculptures are analysed and compared to ancient texts from five different periods (700-400 BC, 400-1 BC, 1-200 AD, 200-500 AD and unknown dates). The sculptures and the ancient texts are then compared to each other and then compared with modern studies about nakedness, physical appearance and beauty during antiquity. The results conclude that it is difficult to specify exact beauty ideals, but the study shows that women should be curvy, white and rosy, have firm breast and a lovely face, and that the sculptures follow that beauty ideal closely.