Venus de Milo (and Victory) Statuettes – In the Collection

For the most part I don’t understand making plaster mini-statues to put around the house. And for a guy saying that, I have more than you’d expect hanging around. I’m not sure who thought it would be a good idea to make miniature versions of famous Greek statues: Aphrodite of Milos or Nike of Samothrace, better known as the Venus de Milo and Winged Victory of Samothrace, but I do know that I have them.

Since writing this I’ve acquired another, smaller Venus (pictured). Interestingly it says “Made in Italy” on the bottom, which is funny if you know where Milos is.

The first Venus was in a pair with the Victory that my brother and I ro-sham-bo’ed and split; I got victory. Thoug, eventually when my brother was moving and getting rid of things, I asked about the Venus and he gave it to me to clear space. Naturally, it fell and broke its head off that day. My repair is noticeable, especially since it’s now in a more humid climate and got stressed in the moving process, it needs work but it’s passable at the moment.

The second Venus is much taller and made out of something considerably more plastic than the plaster of the smaller ones. It’s a yellow-ish off-white rather than true white, and shiner than one would expect. When it came into my possession it was covered in dirt leading me to think it was a lawn ornament in a previous life.

As far as likenesses, go both replicas take some liberties. The tall one in particular is much more “modern” in style. But they’re both easily recognizable as the Venus and I wouldn’t expect a perfect replica from something that was either meant to go in a garden or… be a decoration, I guess, for moderately minimalistic and tacky homes… maybe. The Victory is also not an exact replica but that’s less noticeable as it’s missing more pieces in real life.

I’m still not quite sure why they exist, but I am a classical history fan, and they look good on a shelf while providing a conversation starter. And I guess I’m not alone in thinking that, since you can get a huge variety online, including a Venus de Space if you’re into that.