Venus of Courtrai
Royal Museum of Mariemont (Belgium)
FACT SHEET
Title: Venus of Courtrai
Artist: Unknown
Technique: bronze and silver, full cast
Period: 4th century a.c.
Style: statuette iconographic
DESCRIPTION OF THE ARTWORK
It's the statue of a naked young woman, standing in a swaying posture, resting on the right leg and with the left one bent forward. Her hair is gathered into a bun at the nape, except for four long strands. Two of them fall, on her shoulders, and she holds the other two with her hands up. The eyes are inlaid with silver; the pupils are marked with a stroke of the punch. The lips were done with a, now disappeared, red copper. The bottom of the right leg and the tip of the left foot are broken (and restored); and two strands of hair; right thigh and left arm have notches. The statuette represents the goddess Venus, using an iconographic type of work.
ANALYSING BEAUTY CANONS
1.-Gender: Female
2.-Body size / complexion: quite skinny
3.-Height of the character: short
4.-Body proportion: harmonic
5.-Age: young
6.-Hair colour: grey
7.-Hair style: messy and loose bun
8.-Skin colour: grey
9.-Clothing: naked
10.-Somatotype: Ectomorph
BEAUTY CANONS OF THE 4TH CENTURY WITH POST MODERN BEAUTY
The beauty canon of this painting, that belongs to the 4th century, isn't too different from the aesthetic requirements for a woman in the 2000s who should be skinny, young and fit. The woman in this statue isn't tall and extremely skinny as the women we are used to see nowdays, but at the same time she isn't too different from them.