The Knidian Aphrodite: Praxiteles as Voyeur and Feminist

One of the most famous sculptures from the fourth century BCE is the Aphrodite of Knidos by Praxiteles. The Aphrodite was the first large scale nude depicting a goddess in Greek culture, despite frequent depictions of the clothed female form and the nude male. Scholars such as Robin Osbourne have explored the male reaction to Knidian Aphrodite through the lens of male viewers and its implications. The male gaze has described the gendered limitations of male viewership on female nudes such as Aphrodite. Other scholars such as Mereille M. Lee argue that Praxiteles’ Aphrodite of Knidos was enjoyed by a female viewership as well. In this paper I will argue that Praxiteles’ Aphrodite was made for both a male and female audience, and that the Aphrodite was a product of the complex social world in which women existed. Moreover, that women were not viewers only, but also artisans, patrons, and played important roles in not only the sculptures aesthetic creation, but that women had a specific importance in the pantheon of goddess worship in the sculptural form. This paper will explore fourth century sculpture, the male gaze, and how women were included into the concept of the divine nude