Pair of Allegorical (?) Busts

This is a substantial pair of busts on marble bases. Does anyone recognize whom they might represent? Thank you!

 

Aphrodite and Adonis Sr.?

What is the female holding if anything? Ceres perhaps?

 

Adonis Sr is probably a philosopher, he is holding a scroll.

inh, you just beat me to it. Great minds?

 

https://www.schoenbrunn.at/en/about...tour-through-the-park/statues-at-schoenbrunn/

This little place in Vienna has practically every allegorical figure known to man represented in statuary.

 

This is a wonderful website!!! Thank you for sharing!

 

My guess on the female would be Aphrodite.

But that's just because of the nudity (and rereading the cameo thread several times).

 

I would say she is either Diana/Artemis or an Amazon, such as Penthesilea. Both are archers, & the strap across the chest indicates a quiver. Amazons are always depicted with one bare breast; Diana, sometimes so.

The male is a philosopher/poet type. The pupil-less eyes may indicate the blind poet, Homer.

Looking again at the female, I see she is holding something in her right hand that appears to be other than a fold of her robe. If it is an apple, could be Atalanta, another very athletic woman.

 

Always something new to be learned with you.

 

Would like to see the top/back of her head. I do not see any hint of the crescent moon that would make Diana a sure thing. Do see some suggestion of a laurel wreath, which would be iffy for an Amazon but appropriate to Atalanta.

 

Aren't her eyes also pupil-less?

 

Looks like a nice place to visit.

 

Isn't the bow shoulder always unclothed...

 

Since she also has no pupils, this may have no significance for him. It's always better...as AJ just added:

Edit: oops hit post instead of add quote

 

and isn't a bust....just the head....or ...

 

I never said that.

 

Love it. On my list now to visit, when I go to Vienna.

 

As AJ just added:

To resume:...always better to think horses instead of zebras. Odds are it is someone who's a household name. Wrong nose for Socrates, who was described as looking like a satyr, so by convention is shown with a snub nose:



Phidias' idea of Plato:



Aristotle usually has some hair combed forward; sometimes quite a dense fringe. This is a sparser version: