Rock Crystal Statuette of Venus in the Getty Villa, July 2008

Statuette of Venus
Greek or Roman, 100 -1 BC
Rock crystal

Inventory # 78.AN.248

This statuette is modeled after a large-scale sculpture of Venus crouching to bathe herself that was created in the Hellenistic period (323-31 BC). The original statue has not survived, but its general appearance is preserved in later versions of various sizes. The use of rock crystal, a valuable medium, indicates that this object was a luxury item.

Text from the Getty Villa museum label.