Venus de Milo
Venus de Milo isn’t Venus at all, but rather Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love and beauty. Or it may be, according to some historians, Amphitrite, the sea goddess. The statue is also known as Aphrodite de Milos.
Venus de Milo, Alexandros of Antioch, 130-100 BC
Aphrodite
This one is definitely Aphrodite
Aphrodite du type du capitole, 2nd century AD
Mona Lisa
The Da Vinci painting is more famous than the person who it is a portrait of. The real Mona Lisa is Lisa del Giocondo, wife of affluent Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo. It is believed Giocondo commissioned da Vinci to paint this portrait to adorn a new home.
Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci, 1503-1506
Cleopatra
Cleopatra was the last ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt. She was the wife of Mark Antony. After a defeat in a decisive battle that was part of the war of the Roman Empire, Antony and Cleopatra fled to Egypt where each committed suicide. Cleopatra died by allowing a poisonous asp to bite her.
La Mort de Cleopatre, Giovanni Pietro Rizzoli, 1495-1549
Artemis
Artemis was the Greek goddess of hunting, the daughter of Zeus and the twin sister of Apollo. Her arrows were believed to be used to punish the misdeeds of men. To the Romans, she was known as Diana of Versailles.
4th Century BC Greek statue of Artemis
Athena of Velletri
Athena was the warrior goddess and protector of Athens. She was born out of the head of her father Zeus and was known to accompany heroes into battle.
Las Pallas de Velletri, Roman copy of Greek sculpture from 4th-3rd century BC
Nike
Art historians have not been able to agree on just what victory Winged Victory commemorates. But they agree that it depicts the goddess Nike, Greek goddess of strength, speed and victory. Also known as the Winged Goddess, she was believed to be able to convey to humans the strength to be victorious. (Ad campaigns for Nike sneakers offer much the same.)
Winged Victory of Samothrace, c. 200 BC
off the leash 
Quite a collection of memorable personages.
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I read this week that Greek statuary was polychrome.
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Brings back memories of arriving early to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa before the crowds (loved it) and then racing to Venus de Milo (stunning) again before the crowds.
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A very neat post! 🙂 I would love to walk around the Louvre someday.
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Neat theme and way to highlight some of the work in Louvre.
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We might all need to move to France as the last bastion of freedom, eh Ken? At least they have nice artwork there. :0))))
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Good food too.
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Haha – yes!
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Great memories. I was there in the end of October, the tourists were present, of course, but I was able to see everything and even take pictures of all my favorite artworks. Autumn in Paris is gorgeous, and not cold at all.
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