Panel of Venus, “Pudica Type”

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Carved in relief on the convex side of a bone panel, a nude female figure stands in contrapposto with her left leg bent and left hip rotated inward. Turning her face as if to avoid our gaze, she reaches her right hand across her body to hide her breasts while her left hand covers her groin. A large cloth falls behind her body in loose folds, exposing her nakedness. This pose is known as the Venus Pudica, or "modest Venus," and refers to the ancient Greek type of female nude.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.

Metropolitan Museum of Art