The room

Where is the Venus de Milo in the Louvre?

On level 0 of the Sully wing, in the last of a long series of rooms of Greek sculpture. The museum's page on the statue and its collection database give Room 345; its trail page gives Room 346.

The 90-minute Louvre's Masterpieces trail includes the statue as step 2 of 12. From the Salle des Caryatides, Room 348, cross the room and take the passage to the right of the monumental fireplace.

She stands almost on her own in the middle of the room, the one where she was first shown, so that visitors can walk around her. To go on to the Winged Victory, the trail retraces its steps and turns left after the red marble pillars.

What to do: Walk around the statue and look at the drapery hiding the join at the hips. The mounting hole for the left arm is at the shoulder.

The statue

Who made the Venus de Milo?

The museum names no sculptor. Its title is Aphrodite, known as the Venus de Milo. The catalogue dates it between 150 and 125 BC, in the third quarter of the 2nd century BC.

The body was carved in two blocks of Parian marble that join at the hips. The arms were carved separately and attached. The left arm, most of the right arm and the left foot are missing.

Without arms she was hard to name: Amphitrite or Aphrodite. Her half-naked body and the jewellery she once wore decided it for Aphrodite, Venus to the Romans. A hand holding an apple, in the same marble, was found near the statue.

The history

How did the Venus de Milo come to the Louvre?

King Louis XVIII donated the statue to the Louvre in March 1821 after receiving it from the Marquis de Rivière. The marquis had acquired it soon after its discovery in 1820 on the Greek island of Melos, now Milos.

When she arrived, restoring the missing arms was proposed and then dropped. The red marble decoration of her rooms dates from the early 19th century, under Napoleon I.

The museum counts her, with the Mona Lisa and the Winged Victory of Samothrace, among the three most famous female figures in the Louvre.

Opening times

When can you see the Venus de Milo?

The Louvre opens from 9:00 to 18:00, or until 21:00 on Wednesdays and Fridays; the statue's daily access is unconfirmed. The Greek Antiquities schedule names Denon, while the statue is in Sully. Check with staff before planning around this stop. The museum closes on Tuesdays, 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. Last entry is one hour before closing; staff start clearing rooms 30 minutes before.

You may take photos and videos for your own use. Selfie sticks, flash and extra lighting are not allowed in the permanent collections.