F O R E W O R D the Altoviti e w i HIS monograph on Aphrodit , h ch e e e e the a e of adorns th marbl t mpl in g rd ns Mr . “ ” D R efe e un r e ui ! ohn . ock ll r at his co t y s at Kijk t the e o f on Hudson, has b en c mpiled and edited rom f de of information and notes urnished by Mr . Charles Kay ew Y who was the the N ork City, first to point out artistic ' merit of the Aphrodite and through whose eflorts the statue was brought to the attention of critics in Europe c and Ameri a . WE w ' n LL ES Bos on r . THE APHRODITE IN THE MARBLE TEMPLE AT “K I! K UIT” T HE ALT O VIT I AP H RO DIT E I W0 e we statu s had long stood, how long do not the of the f u know, in courtyard amo s Palazzo ’ M ontalvo- Altoviti on the Borgo d Albizzi in Flor ’ e e O ne of e the i e the nc . th m, Aphrod t which is of o r e ee e subject this m nog aph, was st med by its own r of e o i e the an as littl w rth, wh l other, attributed to ! di e 1 8 2 Bologna, was highly priz d. In 9 Signor Gustavo er a e e n the Volt r , a deal r in antiqu s, walki g down street, the e t he e noticed two statu s hrough t carriag archway . The Aphrodite stood at the rear of the courtyard against e l ee e e w fi'escoed a stabl wa l, which had b n d corat d ith fruits and flowers as a backgro by some sympathetic ’ per son who may have dimly realized the statue s beauty the of w through many coats thick, rough paint ith which it o f e o e had l ng be or been ign rantly and thoughtlessly cov red . Signor Volterra bought the statue for an insignificant for e e b e its e the e e sum, n ith r nor own r, March sa Matt ucci, e e of the o e e of a d sc ndant M ntalvos , had a tru appr ciation its e e a e he e e b auty and valu . With so p and wat r r moved th e of f f e The D e of he cov ring paint rom its sur ac . ir ctor t Uflizi lle W e to the ue for Ga ry now ish d buy stat , but so ' err e the ofier n low a sum that Signor Volt a, d clining , se t the e e e he e marbl to London . Ther upon it cam into t poss s THE ALTOVITI APHRODITE of er e sion Mr . Fred ick Linton, who subsequ ntly brought ew Y e o of i it to N ork City with a coll cti n old pa ntings . e t r e At that tim the Na ional A ts Club, then on W st - f was ra hi of Thirty ourth Street, ar nging a loan ex bition a e e old p intings . Hearing that there might be som obj cts ’ r hi . i e wo th ex biting in Mr L nton s collection, Mr. Charl s de Kay went with him to the warehouse in which they were stored and after looking over the canvases learned that he possessed an old marble which some connoisseu rs o e had pron unc d a veritable antique . Mr. de Kay thus describes the impression the statue made upon him A glance at the fi re made me think it was an old copy of the e c Ve s at orence w e the dim a e ace M di i nu l , but h n light g v pl to full daylight Iwas immediately impressed by its extraordina ry ea . exa a o I fo a its ar s e the b uty On min ti n und th t m , unlik ’ e e s were an e ra ar ofthe mar e. a so had a ase M di i , int g l p t bl It l b w c ore ar s of ex r e a u e one of its a s hi h b m k t em nti! i th n, h nd , the r a o c i the le reas had o the ight h nd lightly t u h ng b t, up n it remains of a strap decorated with reliefs to represent gold s s osses and cabu chon ewe s a so e ow to an tud , b j l , b lut ly unkn n y f a of V s w a o o u o the marble st tues enu hich h ve c me down t s. s e e fro the ex s e ea of the face and fi re A id th n m ! ui it b uty gu , aside from the extraordin perfection of the dolphin which rears se f as a s or es e the e s ere was a s a e w c it l upp t b i l g , h t tu hi h co not a e ee er e fro an or a so far sco ere uld h v b n d iv d m y igin l di v d, n eas of allfro th V c a er wo a d l t m e enus de Medi i . R th uld it be more reasonable to believe that here was the original by Fru it eles from which K leomenes ofAthens made the famous Venus ” de e c a o 2 0 s . c. a ce r a er . M di i b ut 5 , ntu y l t o ofhi e Mr . Lint n did not appreciate the value s poss ssion . tt 1 8 e Indeed, he had prized it so li le that in 93he s nt it by THE ALTOVITI APHRODITE ’ fi'ei ht the E g to World s Columbian xposition at Chicago, the De e The a e consigned to Greek partm nt . st tu arrived e e n of long aft r th exhibition had opened . Hearing nothi g e e h a n . e w o w s his loa , Mr Linton requ sted a r lativ about to visit Chicago to inquire at the Greek Department whether e e was e e the it had arrived . Th r no such d partm nt and investigator by the merest chance lear ned that m the ! apa nese section there was an unaccounted- for case containing e a ue s the e . a marbl st t . Thi proved to be Aphrodit e de e the ue Lat r Mr . Kay arranged to hav stat exhibited the and s e the by National Arts Club, publi hed an articl in New Y or k Tfilm of w he was art the , hich critic, attributing e e e e e er and statu to Praxit l s . Consid rabl controv sy great e e f we s of public int r st ollo d this publication . Throng art e e and ee the e r lov rs cam again again to s Aphrodit . Flowe s we e fe and e e e e The r laid at its et poets w r moved to v rs . late ! ohn La Farge suggested that it might be the work f Sk o a The u a er e o p s . S nday p p s d dicated special supple e he e ew Y wa e e m nts to t subj ct . N ork s njoying a veritabl art sensation . Meanwhile it became known that the statue might be r for of own the w e pu chased, though reasons his o n r would e e w e e he e not at that tim divulg h r had obtained it. Thos disposed to recommend its purchase to private or public galleries were naturally mystified and made skeptical by hi e fi'ankl e the e of t s attitud . Had Mr . Linton y giv n nam the dealer m Florence who had discovered the statue in the a Altoviti e w e ee al e P lazzo thes suspicions ould hav b n lay d . In 1 90 8 the Aphrodite became the property of two Eng THE ALTOVITI APHRODITE e er r Mr . i lish gentlem n, Sir Alg non Firth , Ba t . and Will am e k who . he r e H nry Ay royd, took it to London At t ir equ st de we archa olo ists Mr . Kay sho d it to various artists , g and r e re e n of connoisseurs in o d r to procu th ir opi ion its origin . Professor Lanteri of the South Kensington Schools con ’ de the e the firmed Mr . Kay s opinion that statu was work of the same hand which had modeled the Her mes at O lympia . By special favor the statue was then placed in the British e bes ide of the e e er Mus um a cast M dici V nus , in ord that e er e the differences between them might b readily obs v d .