Venus de Milo With Arms (Photoshop Reconstruction)

Ancient statues are often incomplete, and that adds greatly to their charm.  There is enough of them remaining to appreciate the artist's talent, but their ruined status underscores their great age, and reminds us that great civilizations both rise and fall in the long sweep of history.  I wouldn't want anyone to reconstruct them with unoriginal limbs and parts, but reconstructing them in Photoshop is another story.  It isn't permanent, it allows me to further develop Photoshop skills, it's fun, and it satisfies my curiosity about these artifacts:  what did they look like originally?

Venus de Milo is a famous Greek statue now in the Louvre.  She's a beautiful young woman whose tunic is about to slip off her hips revealing more than just her already bared breasts.  This marble statue is believed to be from the period 130 - 100 B.C.  It was found on the Isle of Milos in 1820, with its arms in fragments (now lost).  The left hand was holding an apple.

Venus de Milo is believed to be the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite.  Archaeological evidence indicates her right arm was held down and across her torso, holding the slipping drapery in place.  Based on this description, I supplied the missing arms (as I imagine them to be) with Photoshop.  You can read more about Venus de Milo here.

I found a photograph of the statue on the web, then removed the people, cleaned up dings and holes, and replaced the arms.  Apparently, the statue was painted when new, as was the practice of the ancient Greeks.