Smarter look for Venus de Milo

ONE of the Louvre’s top exhibits, the Venus de Milo, has been restored to wipe away centuries of grime.

The statue of the goddess of love has been a favourite with visitors since it was bought in 1821 from the Ottoman Empire.

It dates from 120BC and was found by a peasant farmer in 1820 at Milo in Greece.

The Louvre set aside a special 200m2 room for it, in which it will be rehoused again after it was moved to a smaller one in 1934.

“Over the years, the Venus had become dirty and more and more brown,” said Greek Antiquities director Jean-Luc Martinez.

“It still had traces of oil, soap and plaster used to make a mould of it in the 19th century.” An earlier restoration in 1822-24 raised much debate, including whether or not to make replacement arms.

A pair was made but never installed.