Vénus, Statue in Versailles, France

Venus is a white marble figure placed on a square pedestal near the edge of the Mirror Pool in the gardens of Versailles. Her right arm is raised to hold the edge of a cloth that wraps her hips and legs, while a green trellis covered with trees rises behind her.

The work is partly ancient, though the visible head is a later addition, and it was seized in 1793 from the château of Écouen before being transferred to Versailles. In 1820 it was placed around the Mirror Pool, after several repairs to the arms, hands, feet, and drapery had been carried out in the royal workshops.

The name of the figure recalls the Roman goddess of love, and the pose with the lifted drapery follows the old habit of showing her stepping out of a bath. Passersby often stop here because the bare torso against the dense green fence makes the white stone stand out strongly from the middle of the garden.

The sculpture sits in an open part of the garden, so you can walk around it on flat ground and see the details from every side. A curved stone bench sits a few steps back, making it easy to pause, sit down, and look at the figure without blocking the path of other visitors.

The statue has been put back together many times, and some of the repairs can still be noticed if you look closely at the fingers of the left hand or the edge of the marble cloth. The head itself is not old, which surprises many people who assume every part of the figure came from the same ancient workshop.