Basalt Statue of Aphrodite in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, May 2011

Basalt statue of Aphrodite

Period: Imperial

Date: late 1st–early 2nd century A.D.

Culture: Roman

Medium: Basalt

Dimensions: 16 5/8in. (42.2cm)

Classification: Stone Sculpture

Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1928

Accession Number: 28.57.6

Description: Adaptation of a Greek statue of the 3rd century B.C. known as the Medici Aphrodite

The Romans used colored stones for floors, wall revetment, and sculpture. This basalt version of a popular statue type for Aphrodite may have been intended to evoke the darkness of bronze.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/252958