About this artwork

In the early 1730s, the antiquary Anton Francesco Gori started work on a comprehensive set of volumes called the 'Museum Florentium' that were intended to provide a visual record of the artistic treasures of Florence. He employed artists to draw copies of famous works which were subsequently engraved and published. This fine red chalk drawing of the ancient sculpture called 'The Medici Venus' was one of Campiglia's contributions to the Antique Sculpture volume (first published in 1734). The Medici Venus was celebrated as a model of female beauty. It was discovered in Rome in the sixteenth century, and for some time it was housed in the Villa Medici, Rome. In 1677 the sculpture was moved to Florence, where it was eventually installed in the Tribuna of the Uffizi.

Updated before 2020

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Giovanni Domenico Campiglia

Giovanni Domenico Campiglia