Venus de Milo
The great fame of the "Venus de Milo" during the 19th century owed much to a major propaganda effort by the French authorities. In 1815, France had returned the "Venus de' Medici" (also known as the Medici Venus) to the Italians, after it had been looted by Napoleon Bonaparte. The Medici Venus, regarded as one of the finest classical sculptures in existence, caused the French to promote the "Venus de Milo" as a greater treasure than that which they recently had lost. The statue was praised dutifully by many artists and critics as the epitome of graceful female beauty. However, Pierre-Auguste Renoir was among its detractors, labelling it a "big gendarme".