Definition of Venus Pudica - Art History Glossary

Venus pudica is a term used to describe a classic figural pose in Western art. In this, an unclothed female (either standing or reclining) keeps one hand covering her private parts. (She is a modest lass, this Venus.) The resultant pose - which is not, incidentally, applicable to the male nude - is somewhat asymmetrical and often serves to draw ones eye to the very spot being hidden. The word pudica comes to us by way of the Latin pudendus, which can mean either external genitalia or shame, or both simultaneously. Pronunciation: vee ·nus pud ·ee ·kuh