Friday bottom #35

I know this looks the same as last week's but, rest assured, it's not! For one thing, it's in the V&A. And while the subject is the same, this one is called Crouching Venus and was made by John Nost the Elder in 1702. The reason it looks so much like Lely's Venus is because he probably copied it to make his own.

The full shot is here. Interestingly, the Nost Venus isn't as alluring as the original. It's something to do breast exposure and the subtle way her eyes were carved.

Nost was Dutch but came to Britain and became very influential in the development of British sculpture in the 18th century.

So there you have it: A Dutchman, copying a Roman copy of a Greek statue in Britain. And they say multi-culturalism is a new thing.