Crouching Venus (Lely Venus)

Many variants on a crouching Venus figure, often reflecting the goddess surprised at her bath, have been excavated from the Renaissance onwards, and were evidently a prized specimen in the collections of wealthy Romans of the late republic and earlier imperial period. The present sculpture is based on the so-called Lely Venus, a 2nd century AD Roman marble first recorded in the collection of the Gonzaga family, then Dukes of Mantua, in the early 17th century. It was sold to Charles I in 1627, and after his death went to the painter Peter Lely (1618–1680) before returning to the Royal Collection after the Restoration, and is now on loan from the Royal Collection to the British Museum.

The present casting, though unsigned, is of the highest quality, with very delicate features and rich incisions in the mould reflected in the finished bronze.