Pauline Bonaparte as Venus Victrix

Antonio Canova sculpted this Pauline Bonaparte as Venus Victrix between 1805 and 1808. Napoleon's sister reclines semi-nude on a couch, holding the golden apple Paris awarded Venus. The work caused scandal: a noblewoman displaying herself so provocatively was shocking even for the era.

When asked how she could pose nearly naked, Pauline reportedly replied, "There was a fire in the studio." The marble rests on a wooden base containing a mechanism that once rotated the sculpture for viewing. Canova's Neoclassical style idealized Pauline's features while retaining enough realism for recognition. Her husband Prince Camillo Borghese kept the sculpture hidden, rarely allowing viewings. It remains in the Borghese Gallery.