A Marble Torso of Aphrodite, Roman Imperial, circa 1st Century A.D.

inspired by the Aphrodite of Knidos by Praxiteles, circa 350 B.C., the goddess standing with her weight on the right leg and bending forward slightly at the waist, her right forearm resting on her hip, the iron dowel on the left leg for attachment to a missing support.

Christos G. Bastis, New York, acquired in the early 1940s
(Sotheby's, New York, The Christos G. Bastis Collection, December 9th, 1999, no. 153, illus.)

Antiquities from the Collection of Christos G. Bastis, catalogue of the exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1987, no. 62, illus.

As shown and described. Surface slightly worn. Areas of incrustation visible in 1999 sale catalogue photograph have been removed since then. It is possible that the surface has been slightly waxed in the front. Small rust stains below the neck due to the iron pin remaining in the neck, and on the proper left thigh where the figure was attached to a support. The lighter colored proper right forearm is a lighter vein in the marble, not a restoration.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Cf. A. Pasquier and J.-L. Martinez, eds., Praxitèle, Paris, 2007, no. 41. Also compare H. Hoffmann, Ten Centuries that Shaped the West, Greek and Roman Art in Texas Collections, Houston, 1971, no. 16.

The Aphrodite of Knidos, commissioned by the island of Kos but turned down by them as being too immodest, was then acquired by the city of Knidos, lying directly across the sea from Kos on a rugged peninsula in Asia Minor. Standing in a circular temple dramatically situated above the city's two harbors, the statue soon brought the city renown, and she became an object of pilgrimage as well as a standard of female beauty.