Ashmolean Museum Oxford
by Anja Ulbrich, Liam McNamara, Peter A. Thompson and Jennifer Sliwka
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This catalogue explores the world of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, beauty, and desire who later became worshipped by the Romans as Venus. Today, she is thought of as a symbol of passion and beauty but her story is far older and more complex. Uncover the making of a goddess whose legacy still shapes our ideas of love and beauty today.
This book accompanies the upcoming special exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum, Aphrodite: The Making of a Goddess, on display from 8 October 2026 - 11 April 2027. To find out more information about this special exhibition and to book tickets, please click here.
Explore Aphrodite's beginnings on the island of Cyprus, where she was worshipped as an all-powerful goddess over 3,000 years ago, and trace her journey through the Greek and into the Roman world, where she became Venus.
Aphrodite: The Making of a Goddess reveals how, over the centuries, Aphrodite evolved into an iconic figure symbolising love and beauty as her myths and images flourished – inspiring art, literature, and imagination from the Renaissance to the present day. Illustrated with more than 200 extraordinary objects, from sculpture and bronzes to gems and terracotta's from Cyprus, Greece, and Italy, dating back from around 1400 BCE to the 21st century. Many of these are rarely exhibited outside their home countries and reveal diverse artistic traditions tied to Aphrodite’s mythos.
Included inside are objects from world-class collections, such as celebrated classical statues and masterpieces on loan from institutions like the Royal Collection and the Louvre, offering Ashmolean visitors the chance to see icons of Aphrodite/Venus alongside ancient cult objects. By bringing together myth, religion and art, Aphrodite prompts readers to think about how ideas of love, beauty and desire have been constructed and re-interpreted across cultures; providing both a visually captivating, and intellectually engaging read.
This publication features 200 colour and 20 black and white illustrations in exquisite detail.
Anja Ulbrich has been the A.G. Leventis curator of Cypriot Antiquities at the Ashmolean since 2009.
Liam McNamara is Keeper (Senior Curator) of the Department of Antiquities and Lisa and Bernard Selz Curator for Ancient Egypt and Sudan at the Ashmolean Museum.
Peter A. Thompson is Assistant Curator of Classical Archaeology at the Ashmolean Museum and Assistant Lecturer in Classical Archaeology at St John's College.
Jennifer Sliwka, PhD was the Keeper of Western Art at the Ashmolean Museum and Professorial Fellow at Balliol College at the University of Oxford. She left in September 2025 after being appointed Director of the Picture Gallery of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
Paperback
Book contains 224 pages
Dimensions: 28 x 22 cm
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