This is a replica piece. Aphrodite (Roman - Venus) was mother of Cupid and attended to by the three Graces and as goddess of love has been widely depicted in sculpture since antiquity. This model was taken from the famed "Venus de Milo" which was excavated by a peasant on the island of Melos in late March 1820. It passed through several hands before being displayed at the Louvre in 1821.