Vénus au dauphin, marble statue in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France

Vénus au Dauphin is a marble statue in the Jardin du Luxembourg, showing a female figure beside a sea creature. The carved stone has smooth surfaces and the group stands low enough for a close view from the surrounding path.

The statue was installed in the garden around the start of the nineteenth century, during a period when many classical figures were added to Paris parks. It later became part of the set of marble works that gives the Jardin du Luxembourg its familiar look.

The pairing of the woman and the dolphin comes from old stories about the sea, where the animal stands for speed and protection. People walking by often notice how the curved tail echoes the fold of the figure's clothing.

The work is placed along one of the garden's planted areas, so a slow walk through the central beds brings you near it. Morning and late afternoon light makes the stone easier to see, and the gravel path stays passable in dry weather.

An early photograph from about 1890 shows this same statue with handwritten notes on the back giving two possible titles, one of them crossed out. That small correction reveals how even museum records hesitated about the figure's identity.