A Head of Aphrodite, Probably from the Eastern Pediment of the Parthenon, at Holkham Hall

The marble head of Aphrodite of heroic dimensions from Holkham Hall in Norfolk was published by Michaelis in his ‘Ancient Marbles of Great Britain’ (p. 314, No. 37) and is one of the few works which he thought worthy of being illustrated by a special plate. In his own words: ‘It is one of the most striking specimens of the collection, and richly merits being better known; being a good copy of an original of the best period. The conception stands about half way between the Aphrodite of Melos and the Aphrodite of Knidos by Praxiteles.’ The illustration in Michaelis, which is here reproduced (Fig. 1), gives an entirely wrong conception of the style and character of the head. The head is tilted back too far, which alters the character as far as attitude is concerned, as well as the proportion of the face, which appears too much elongated, and especially in the drawing and modelling of the features and surfaces introduces elements of softness and sentiment which are most misleading. My contention is: That we have to deal, not with a copy, but with an original, and that the relationship to the well-known types of the fourth century B.C. and of later dates, such as those specially mentioned by Michaelis, undoubtedly exists, but that it cannot possibly be that of a further development of Praxitelean or later types, but of an earlier type, out of which the Praxitelean and Scopasian types were developed, no doubt with distinct originality and with the perfection of artistic technique and feeling characteristic of these great sculptors of the fourth century.