The restorers' decision to have the figure look over her back greatly affected subsequent interpretations, to the point that the classicists Mary Beard and J. G. W. Henderson describe it as having "created a 'masterpiece' in place of a fragment".
The restored statue's pose draws further attention to the naked buttocks, and gives the figure a distinctly erotic aspect.
The restoration recalled in the minds of viewers a story recorded in Athenaeus' Deipnosophists about the founding of a temple of "Aphrodite Kallipygos" in ancient Syracuse, Sicily.
According to Athenaeus, two beautiful sisters from a farm near Syracuse argued over which of them had the shapelier buttocks, and accosted a young passerby to have him judge.
They showed themselves off to the traveler, the son of a rich man, and he voted for the older sister.
Subsequently, he became smitten with her and fell ill with love-sickness.
Learning what had happened, the man's younger brother went out to see the girls for himself, and fell in love with the younger sister.
Thereafter the brothers refused to consider any other brides, so their father arranged for the sisters to come marry them.
The citizens dubbed the sisters "Kallipugoi" ("Women with Beautiful Buttocks"), and with their new-found prosperity they dedicated a temple to Aphrodite, calling her Kallipygos.

Other sources mention the cult of Aphrodite Kallipygos at Syracuse.
The Christian writer Clement of Alexandria includes it in a list of erotic manifestations of pagan religion.
From the 16th century, Athenaeus' tale circulated in Vincenzo Cartari's retelling of stories from classical mythology, Le Imagini.
Many viewers of the 17th and 18th centuries identified the statue's subject as the goddess, and supposed the work to be a cult statue from the temple of Venus Kallipygos.
It was thus often described at the time as Venus exiting the bath.
Others identified it instead with one of the "beautiful-buttocked" girls from Athenaeus' story, and as such it was alternatively known as "La Belle Victorieuse" or "La Bergère Grecque".

In 1836, Famin called it a "charming statuette" but noted that it was "placed in a reserved hall, where the curious are only introduced under the surveillance of a guardian, though even this precaution has not prevented the rounded forms which won for the goddess the name of Callipyge, from being covered with a dark tint, which betrays the profane kisses that fanatic admirers have every day impressed there.
We ourselves knew a young German tourist smitten with a mad passion for this voluptuous marble; and the commiseration his state of mind inspired set aside all idea of ridicule."
The restorers' decision to have the figure look over her back greatly affected subsequent interpretations, to the point that the classicists Mary Beard and J. G. W. Henderson describe it as having "created a 'masterpiece' in place of a fragment". The restored statue's pose draws further attention to the naked buttocks, and gives the figure a distinctly erotic aspect. The restoration recalled in the minds of viewers a story recorded in Athenaeus' Deipnosophists about the founding of a temple of "Aphrodite Kallipygos" in ancient Syracuse, Sicily. According to Athenaeus, two beautiful sisters from a farm near Syracuse argued over which of them had the shapelier buttocks, and accosted a young passerby to have him judge. They showed themselves off to the traveler, the son of a rich man, and he voted for the older sister. Subsequently, he became smitten with her and fell ill with love-sickness. Learning what had happened, the man's younger brother went out to see the girls for himself, and fell in love with the younger sister. Thereafter the brothers refused to consider any other brides, so their father arranged for the sisters to come marry them. The citizens dubbed the sisters "Kallipugoi" ("Women with Beautiful Buttocks"), and with their new-found prosperity they dedicated a temple to Aphrodite, calling her Kallipygos.
Other sources mention the cult of Aphrodite Kallipygos at Syracuse. The Christian writer Clement of Alexandria includes it in a list of erotic manifestations of pagan religion. From the 16th century, Athenaeus' tale circulated in Vincenzo Cartari's retelling of stories from classical mythology, Le Imagini. Many viewers of the 17th and 18th centuries identified the statue's subject as the goddess, and supposed the work to be a cult statue from the temple of Venus Kallipygos. It was thus often described at the time as Venus exiting the bath. Others identified it instead with one of the "beautiful-buttocked" girls from Athenaeus' story, and as such it was alternatively known as "La Belle Victorieuse" or "La Bergère Grecque".
In 1836, Famin called it a "charming statuette" but noted that it was "placed in a reserved hall, where the curious are only introduced under the surveillance of a guardian, though even this precaution has not prevented the rounded forms which won for the goddess the name of Callipyge, from being covered with a dark tint, which betrays the profane kisses that fanatic admirers have every day impressed there. We ourselves knew a young German tourist smitten with a mad passion for this voluptuous marble; and the commiseration his state of mind inspired set aside all idea of ridicule."
Venus Callipyge