The marble statue was found in the South Italian town of Baiae and received her name on account of the connection to Magna Graecia. The statue initially belonged to the collection of Lord Hope and was later acquired by Michael Embeirikos, who gave it to the National Archaeological Museum of Athens in 1924. The archaeological structure where the statue was discovered is known as the "sector of Sosandra".

circa 150 CE

It is made of Parian marble and has a height of 1.8 meters. The statue was restored by the sculptor Antonio Canova, since it initially lacked the head, neck, and right arm. Canova’s restoration, while skillful, reflects the artistic sensibilities of his own time (late 18th and early 19th century CE) rather than those of the original sculptor, subtly altering the statue’s intended aesthetic.

Aphrodite is depicted largely naked, with only a himation slung over her buttocks and held in place over her genitals with her left hand. The rest of the garment falls to the ground behind and beside her in graceful folds, creating a striking contrast between the softness of the fabric and the smooth, polished surface of her skin. The wide stream of cloth also fulfills the function of a statue support, an element often necessary in marble statues to ensure stability.

Her two feet are placed close together on a plinth, with the left leg bearing most of the weight as the supporting leg, while the right leg remains slightly bent, giving the composition a subtle contrapposto effect. This positioning not only enhances the naturalism of the figure but also adds a sense of poised elegance. With her right hand, the goddess attempts to cover her left breast in a gesture that, while suggestive of modesty, also serves to draw attention to her nudity rather than obscure it. Her head is twisted slightly to the left, a movement that enhances the impression of lifelike dynamism within the otherwise static pose.

The statue belongs to the Venus pudica type, a sculptural tradition that takes its name from the Latin term for "modest Venus". This type derives from the famous Aphrodite of Cnidus, a work attributed to the renowned Greek sculptor Praxiteles in the fourth century BCE. The Venus pudica type was widely reproduced in the Roman world, where Greek originals were frequently copied and adapted to suit Roman tastes. The Roman admiration for Greek artistry is evident in this statue, which, despite being a copy, maintains the delicate proportions and idealized beauty characteristic of Classical Greek sculpture.

The Aphrodite figure, with its carefully composed balance of modesty and sensuality, embodies the Greek ideal of feminine beauty and divine grace. The gentle curves of her body, the refined execution of her features, and the interplay of light and shadow across the marble surface contribute to the statue’s striking realism and enduring aesthetic appeal. As a Roman copy of a Greek original, it reflects the transmission and reinterpretation of Greek artistic traditions within the Roman world, demonstrating both continuity and transformation in the representation of divine figures in classical art.