<P> The great fame of the Venus de Milo during the nineteenth century was not simply the result of its admitted beauty; it also owed much to a major propaganda effort by the French authorities . In 1815, France had returned 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, labeling it a "big gendarme". </P> <P> The statue has greatly influenced masters of modern art; one prime example is Salvador Dalí's Venus de Milo with Drawers . </P> <P> The statue was formerly part of the seal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), one of the oldest associations of plastic surgeons in the world . </P> <P> In February 2010, the German magazine Focus featured a doctored image of this Venus giving Europe the middle finger, which resulted in a defamation lawsuit against the journalists and the publication . They were found not guilty by the Greek court . </P>

What is mona lisa holding in her left hand