Unknown Maker, Greek

The pose and garments of this figure are reminiscent of Venus Genetrix as the goddess appeared on Roman imperial coinage of the second century AD, celebrating her role as “universal mother.” Venus represented virtues beyond simple beauty, those that were highly valued in (and desired for) the proper Roman matron: chastity, piety, modesty, and loyalty. In fact, the type represented by the Providence piece, the Louvre-Naples type, was particularly preferred to represent these virtues.

Both types of Venus were favored for funerary portrait statues, especially in the second and third centuries AD. The Providence piece may be an example of such an honorary portrait, as indicated by the preparation of the neck to receive a fitted head. This use is also suggested by a slight adaptation in the figure’s garment (chiton), which covers the left breast. In the Louvre-Naples prototype, the chiton slips off the shoulder, leaving the breast bared. Especially during the first two centuries AD, non-aristocratic women most often rejected in their private funerary statuary the heroic nudity employed in imperial circles.