Aphrodite Of Knidos Analysis

318 Words2 Pages
Unsurprisingly, most of the analysis of the Aphrodite of Knidos has been conducted by men, and it shows when one does any sort of research about her. Both ancient and modern commentators have concluded that the intended audience of this statue would have been male, since it played upon a man’s sexual desire for the goddess. This is true in the sense that it is a sensual work that surely inspired passion in many men, but I ague that they were not the primary audience of this fine work. Aphrodite was a goddess who was venerated by married women or women who were about to get married, as well as high profile sex workers known as hetairai. Brides would invoke her to help them in the marital realm, and the hetairai invoked her as their protectress.