Venus Anadyomene
Can I see it?
Yes, on view now
Where is “Venus Anadyomene” now? Victoria and Albert Museum, Medieval & Renaissance, Room 64, The Wolfson Gallery, London. Yes, on view now. Checked September 25, 2026.
London, United Kingdom
RoomMedieval & Renaissance, Room 64, The Wolfson Gallery
Closing soon· until 5:45 PM
On public display.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the sculpture
This relief formed part of a cycle of carvings of mythological figures by the Venetian sculptor Antonio Lombardo (ca. 1458 - 1516). The inscription on the base is taken from Book III of Ovid's Ars Amatoria (The Art of Love), in which the poet describes a gem incised with an image of Venus rising from the sea, in which "naked Venus is wringing her spray-drenched tresses" (line 224, trans. J. H. Mozley). This quotation signalled to the learned viewer not only the ancient origins of the subject matter, but also the rivalry between the arts of sculpture and poetry, a perennial topic of debate among painters, sculptors, and writers.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Details
- Accession number
- A.19-1964
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
