Venus de Milo
The armless marble statue of the Greek goddess Aphrodite found on the island of Milos in 1820 — the canonical image of classical beauty.
Origin
Carved in marble around 100 BCE, probably by Alexandros of Antioch, and rediscovered by a peasant on the Aegean island of Milos (Melos) in April 1820. The French ambassador bought it for King Louis XVIII; it has been in the Louvre ever since. The original arms were lost — most likely in the chaos of moving the statue from the island to a French ship — and have never been found, though plausible reconstructions show her holding an apple. The missing arms became part of the image: the statue is iconic because of, not in spite of, the loss.
Modern usage
Universal shorthand for classical sculpture and for any beauty that is impressive partly because it is incomplete. 'A Venus de Milo' is sometimes used (cruelly or affectionately) for anyone who's lost the use of their arms, or whose poses naturally leave them out of frame. The statue is one of the three default 'Louvre' references alongside the Mona Lisa and the Winged Victory.
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