<em>Statuette of Aphrodite Anadyomene</em>, late 2nd century B.C.E. Faience, 14 3/16 x Diam. 4 1/4 in. (36 x 10.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 44.7. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 44.7_SL3.jpg)

Statuette of Aphrodite Anadyomene, late 2nd century B.C.E. Faience, 14 3/16 x Diam. 4 1/4 in. (36 x 10.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 44.7. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 44.7_SL3.jpg)

DOWNLOAD

Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

Could you tell me how faience was made?

Faience is a man-made mixture of "ground quartz or quartz-sand held together by and alkaline binder. The bright and shiny surface seen on this figurine is a result of glazing. The glaze was made of a form of powdered glass mixed with a liquid and applied either with a brush or by dipping the entire figurine.

It gets it's blue color from copper that is mixed into or applied to the surface of the quartz body before firing.

Is she an Egyptian goddess?

Aphrodite, as you may know, is a Greek goddess, but she was also popular in ancient Egypt in the Ptolemaic period (when the Greeks ruled Egypt) and after.

Tell me more.

Aphrodite Anadyomene means Aphrodite rising from the sea. In this sculpture you can see she is wringing out her hair, just having gotten out of the water. Though she was a Greek goddess, she was also popular in Egypt during the Ptolemaic period. The material she's made out of, faience, was also very popular in Egypt.

Can you tell me more about this beautiful statuette?

Absolutely! This type of statue is called Aphrodite Anadyomene; anadyomene is Greek for to rise. In this case, rising out of the water. You may have noticed that Aphrodite is wringing out her hair and there are some waves around her feet. Are you familiar with the myth of Aphrodite?

Yes, born from the sea by Zeus. Am I right?

Exactly! So, this statue can be read as the moment following her birth out of the sea.

How gorgeous.

How was this piece cast? I can't see any mold marks.

We believe that the statue was mold cast, but the surface was likely smoothed before firing. The surface texture is the result of glazing, as well. Faience is a quartz-based paste that was generally molded and fired.

Thank you!

I found Aphrodite! Can you tell me more about her?

This is a relatively standard depiction of Aphrodite as far as her pose goes, wringing out her hair, but what's unique about her is that she's made of blue glazed faience which was especially popular in Egypt.

She was made when Greek kings ruled Egypt and parallels were drawn between the two pantheons.

Thank you!

Is this Greek or Egyptian?

This little Aphrodite is a great example of multicultural Egypt, especially once Alexander the Great had taken over. Aphrodite is, indeed, a Greek goddess, but this statuette was made in Egypt. Egypt really became a melting pot and beliefs were exchanged, like adoption of new deities.

Executed in an Egyptian material, faience, this Aphrodite Anadyomene is depicted wringing her hair, suggesting that she has just risen from the sea for the first time.

It's really interesting to see a Greek goddess in a Greek style, but with more Egyptian materials. What is it that makes it blue?

It is, isn't it! The materials this is made of is called faience, a man-mad mixture of ground quartz or quartz-sand held together by and alkaline binder.

It's made blue by the use of copper oxide in the glaze. The surface of the naturally sparkling white faience would be coated with the glaze before firing and the blue color would be fused to the statue in the high temperatures of the kiln.

Thank you!

Did Aphrodite have the same symbolism to the Egyptians, as she did for the Greeks?

Basically, yes. This sculpture was created at a time when Greek kings ruled Egypt and the country was a part of the greater Hellenistic world (the lands that had been conquered by Alexander the Great). In the ancient Mediterranean and Near East, individual cultures frequently acknowledged the deities of their contemporaries and even combined them with their own.

The Greek Aphrodite, for example, was very similar to the Egyptian Hathor in their ties to fertility.

Oh very cool. That would make sense.

The Ptolemaic kings supported continued worship of Egypt's native traditions. Greek art and traditions had some influence, but Aphrodite, specifically, was primarily only worshiped by Greek populations in Egypt.

Interesting. So, for the most part, the Ptolemaic Kings were adaptive, as well as assimilating? Bringing in their culture, but not tearing down cultures, not of their own?

Correct! In the grand scheme of things, the Ptolemies recognized that not infringing on deeply ingrained Egyptian religious traditions would make their rule less tumultuous than previous foreigners, such as the Persians.

My friend and I are totally geeking out with this feature. We’re learning so much cool stuff we didn’t know. Thank you!

Who is Anadyomene? How does she relate to Aphrodite?

Anadyomene means "emerging," in this case, from the sea! In this depiction of Aphrodite she is actually wringing out her hair.

This is meant to capture the moment just after Aphrodite's birth out of the sea!

Is Anadyomene a Greek, Latin, or Egyptian word?

It is a Greek word!

Statuette of Aphrodite Anadyomene

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: 19th Dynasty to Roman Period, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor

A true product of a multicultural society in Ptolemaic Egypt, this statuette combines a classical image of the Greek goddess Aphrodite appearing from the sea, just born, with the typically Egyptian material, faience. Egyptian artists achieved the characteristic brilliant blue of faience in a complex process combining ground quartz with a mixture of alkali.

MEDIUM Faience

Possible Place Made: Thebtynis, Egypt

DATES late 2nd century B.C.E.

PERIOD Ptolemaic Period

DIMENSIONS 14 3/16 x Diam. 4 1/4 in. (36 x 10.8 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 44.7

CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

PROVENANCE Archaeological provenance not yet documented; by at least 1896, acquired by Lady (Valerie Susan) Meux; between 1896 and 1944, provenance not yet documented; by 1944, acquired by Spink and Son, London, United Kingdom; 1944, purchased from Spink and Son by the Brooklyn Museum.

Provenance FAQ

CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Blue faience statuette of Aphrodite Anadyomene. The goddess is shown entirely nude, her hands raised to wring out her hair. At her left is a greatly schematized urn with garment thrown over it. She stands on a round base with mouldings. Condition: Right hand missing. Two large areas of glaze missing from the upper rim of the base, one extending almost entirely across the back of the base and the other more than half-way across the front and including part of the left foot. A very small chip off the vase at the foot of the statuette. A small chip near the right knee of the figure, which shows the undarkened white body of the piece.

EXHIBITIONS

Infinite Blue

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view on the 19th Dynasty to Roman Period, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor

CAPTION Statuette of Aphrodite Anadyomene, late 2nd century B.C.E. Faience, 14 3/16 x Diam. 4 1/4 in. (36 x 10.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 44.7. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 44.7_SL3.jpg)

IMAGE front, 44.7_SL3.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

RECORD COMPLETENESS

Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.

Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

Could you tell me how faience was made?

It gets it's blue color from copper that is mixed into or applied to the surface of the quartz body before firing.

Is she an Egyptian goddess?

Aphrodite, as you may know, is a Greek goddess, but she was also popular in ancient Egypt in the Ptolemaic period (when the Greeks ruled Egypt) and after.

Tell me more.

Can you tell me more about this beautiful statuette?

Yes, born from the sea by Zeus. Am I right?

Exactly! So, this statue can be read as the moment following her birth out of the sea.

How gorgeous.

How was this piece cast? I can't see any mold marks.

Thank you!

I found Aphrodite! Can you tell me more about her?

She was made when Greek kings ruled Egypt and parallels were drawn between the two pantheons.

Thank you!

Is this Greek or Egyptian?

Executed in an Egyptian material, faience, this Aphrodite Anadyomene is depicted wringing her hair, suggesting that she has just risen from the sea for the first time.

It's really interesting to see a Greek goddess in a Greek style, but with more Egyptian materials. What is it that makes it blue?

It is, isn't it! The materials this is made of is called faience, a man-mad mixture of ground quartz or quartz-sand held together by and alkaline binder.

Thank you!

Did Aphrodite have the same symbolism to the Egyptians, as she did for the Greeks?

The Greek Aphrodite, for example, was very similar to the Egyptian Hathor in their ties to fertility.

Oh very cool. That would make sense.

Interesting. So, for the most part, the Ptolemaic Kings were adaptive, as well as assimilating? Bringing in their culture, but not tearing down cultures, not of their own?

My friend and I are totally geeking out with this feature. We’re learning so much cool stuff we didn’t know. Thank you!

Who is Anadyomene? How does she relate to Aphrodite?

Anadyomene means "emerging," in this case, from the sea! In this depiction of Aphrodite she is actually wringing out her hair.

This is meant to capture the moment just after Aphrodite's birth out of the sea!

Is Anadyomene a Greek, Latin, or Egyptian word?

It is a Greek word!