Getty Museum

Statue of Salus

Date

A.D. 200–250

Medium

Marble

Culture

Roman

Department

Sculpture

Institution

Getty Museum

Standing with her weight on one leg and clothed in a voluminous gown, this statue of a goddess looks off to her left. The figure displays elements connected with both Hygieia, the goddess of health, and Aphrodite, the goddess of love. The presence of the small, sleeping Eros, the winged young god of love, who leans against her leg, and the goddess's knotted bow hairstyle argue in favor of her identity as Aphrodite. Yet the dress the goddess wears and the snake she holds are more typical of Hygieia. Furthermore, the egg she holds, an emblem of Hygieia's father Asklepios, associates her with that goddess. As a relative latecomer to the classical pantheon, Hygieia lacked a distinct mythology and hence definitive attributes. Frequently Hygieia was blended or merged with another goddess, both in cult practice and in depictions, and this combination may be represented here.

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