Paul Carus tells how a peasant’s lucky find on the small Cycladic island of Melos produced the most famous statue in the world, quoting the eyewitness reports of Dumont d’Urville and the Viscount de Marcellus. He describes the figure, reviews the theories about its missing arms and proposed restorations, and traces the goddess back through Aphrodite to Ishtar and the Near East.
An accessible study for art lovers curious about the story behind the Louvre’s armless goddess. Download the free EPUB.