The Cnidian Venus after Praxiteles

The Cnidian Aphrodite (or Venus) of Praxiteles is generally said to be the most famous statue in the ancient world. It has been dated to the fourth century B.C., and the work was seemingly known throughout many of the lands of antiquity. In the tenth century the work, having been taken to Constantinople by Theodosius, was praised by the Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus; and the statue, in original or copy, is mentioned by Robert de Clari in his account of the taking of Constantinople by the Crusaders.