Aphrodite statue rediscovered after 70 years

A ROMAN statue of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, has been discovered in the corner of a reception room after it was lost for more than seven decades.

The Hamilton Aphrodite, which was last documented when it was auctioned off to a private collector in New York in 1949, is expected to sell for millions at a sale in London on Dec 7. Florent Heintz, head of Sotheby’s ancient sculpture and works of art department, said he had been approached 20 years ago by researchers trying to find the statue, which was purchased by the Duke of Hamilton in Rome in 1776. It is seen as the finest ancient sculpture ever to have resided in Scotland, having been displayed in Hamilton Palace until 1919.

However, it was considered lost until Dr Heintz received a speculative email six years ago, including a picture of the statue, inquiring about its significance.

“I knew what it was straight away because of a photograph of her published in the 1949 auction catalogue in New York,” he said. “I went to see her in person, and I was not disappointed. I was completely in awe. It had been inherited, so it was essentially a family heirloom. The owners did not know how much it was worth or how old it was. It was just sitting in the corner of a reception room. They were stunned.”

The partially restored statue, which dates to the 1st or 2nd century and is more than 6ft tall, is listed with an official estimated sale price of between £2million and £3million. However, experts believe it could fetch far more. A similar piece, the Jenkins Venus, sold for £8 million in 2002. The sellers have chosen to remain anonymous.