Aphrodite Gets Her Head Back

Ever wonder what happened to Venus de Milo’s arms? No one knows, but recently Aphrodite got her head back. An ancient Roman statue of Aphrodite minus the head was matched up with a carved marble head that had been missing for over 50 years. An 1836 engraving showed the complete statue and an expert thought the head and body might be parts of the pictured statue. The two parts were brought together and the grain of the marble, style of carving, turn of the head, and other features seen in the engraving proved they were from the same statue. But getting your head back on your shoulders can be expensive. The statue’s body auctioned for $968,000. The head was purchased later from a private collector who had owned it since a sale in 2002. Aphrodite’s new home will be Emory University.