The Venus de Milo, a 2,000-year-old statue of Aphrodite, was discovered in 1820 on Milos and later became a Louvre icon, missing its arms and shrouded in mystery.
Discovery in Milos
A statue of a woman without arms, later known as the Venus de Milo, was discovered on the island of Milos in early April 1820. According to a letter from a commander dated April 11, the discovery is most often cited as occurring on April 8, though the exact date remains unclear.How the statue was found
The statue was found by a farmer who was digging his land to recover marble blocks, striking a small buried piece at a depth of 2.5-2.8 meters. The statue was located about 300 meters from the ancient theater, under a layer of earth about as thick as an old apartment ceiling. It was found in two parts, surrounded by scattered fragments and two decorated pillars.Uncertain identity of the finder
The exact identity of the farmer remains uncertain, with sources giving him different names: a first name from a diplomat and a surname from a 1862 report. Without certainty, he is referred to as a farmer. A young naval officer later claimed to have drawn the statue on site, but this account dates from 1874, more than half a century after the events, and historians note inconsistencies, inviting caution regarding the officer's role.Statue's journey from Milos
In 1820, Milos was part of the Ottoman Empire, and the fate of the statue was decided in Constantinople, where the French embassy was located. A Greek monk purchased the statue on behalf of an Ottoman dignitary, offering 718 piastres, and had it loaded onto a ship. The French ship Chevrette, commanded by officer Jules Dumont d'Urville, arrived in Milos on May 22, 1820, and found the statue already far from the field where it had rested for centuries.French acquisition and local penalties
The French embassy secretary negotiated for two days and finally managed to recover the statue by paying 836 piastres, a difference of 118 piastres from the monk's offer. The notables of the island were fined 7,000 piastres for selling the statue to foreigners, an amount reimbursed in 1826, representing more than eight times the price paid by France.Statue's arrival in France
The statue arrived in Toulon on December 23, 1820, more than seven months after the May negotiation, and reached Paris in mid-February 1821. Louis XVIII received it at the Tuileries on March 1, 1821, and gave it to the Louvre, where it was displayed from 1821 as the first statue from Greece in the museum's collections. The king never went to see it.Details of the Venus de Milo
The Venus de Milo is made of Parian marble, dating from around 150-125 BCE, and stands more than 2 meters high. It represents Aphrodite, whom the Romans called Venus, and is an original work from the Hellenistic period. The statue's arms were never found, and the many imagined restorations since 1821 have not been adopted for the current presentation. It remains displayed in the Louvre without a case, in room 345 of the Sully wing, with the inventory number Ma 399 in the Louvre's online collection database.
