ancient statue of Aphrodite, now in Paris at the Louvre. Carved by Alexandros, a sculptor of Antioch on the Maeander River in about 150 BC, it was found on the Aegean island of Melos on April 8, 1820. An inscription that is not displayed with the statue states that “Alexandros, son of Menides, citizen of Antioch of Maeander made the statue.” The general composition derives from a 4th-century-BC Corinthian statue. The action and modernized drapery give the Venus great nobility. The statue is a conspicuous example of the Hellenistic sculptural tradition's academic traits and close reliance on older masterpieces.