Rare Early 19th Century Louvre Issued Academic Plaster Bust After the Venus of Arles -27½"

A near life-size academic plaster bust after the Venus of Arles, early 19th century. The head inclines gently, bound with twin fillets above finely rippled hair, the features serene and idealized. The surface shows a soft chalky whiteness with the sheen of age, and the bust rests on its original turned base inscribed _Central Museum of the Arts_, confirming an early Louvre issue, as this was the institution’s original name at its founding. Scattered chips and abrasions to the edges and base, light discoloration, and minor casting flaws add to its character and historic allure. The model follows the celebrated Roman marble discovered in the theater at Arles in the 17th century, long admired as a Roman interpretation of a Praxitelean Aphrodite. Around 1800 the Louvre, then called the Central Museum of the Arts, issued high-quality casts for academic instruction, supplying art schools and private studios with subjects essential to neoclassical training.

The Venus of Arles became a favored model for her graceful inclination, balanced proportions, and idealized beauty. Placed on a console, a library pedestal, or atop a marble mantel, this bust conveys both decorative authority and academic significance. Its timeworn surface and serene profile echo the antique, while its provenance as an early museum cast recalls the formative moment when classical ideals were systematically disseminated to artists and scholars. As such, it stands not only as an evocative ornament but also as a rare witness to the history of neoclassical education and the enduring dialogue between antiquity and modernity.