MADRID.- The Museo Arqueológico Nacional has turned its spotlight eastward. Its newly inaugurated Vitrina Cero exhibition, Between East and West: Cyprus, the Island of Aphrodite, invites visitors to rediscover the ancient Mediterranean through a rarely seen collection of Cypriot archaeology drawn from the museum’s own holdings.

Renewed every three months, the Vitrina Cero space is dedicated to small, focused exhibitions that bring overlooked or little-known objects into public view. This time, the focus is on Cyprus, an island whose strategic position made it a cultural crossroads for millennia. The exhibition will remain on view until April 12, 2026, coinciding with Cyprus’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union during the first half of the year.

Cyprus has long occupied a special place in myth and history alike. Homer recounts in the Odyssey that Aphrodite, born from the sea foam, was carried to the island so the Graces could anoint her with divine oil. Beyond mythology, Cyprus’s geography—at the eastern edge of the Mediterranean—made it a natural meeting point for Phoenician, Egyptian, Greek, and Persian civilizations. Their influences are woven into the island’s artistic and religious traditions, many of which are on display in this compact yet richly layered exhibition.

The objects presented date from roughly 3000 to 335 BCE and come largely from the museum’s storage areas. Together, they offer a glimpse into Cypriot religious life, where one of the most striking ritual practices involved sculpted offerings representing men and women. Among the highlights are a life-size sculpted head and an Egyptizing torso that still preserves traces of its original polychromy—rare survivals that bring ancient devotional practices vividly to life.

Complementing the sculptures is a group of ceramic vessels once used for transporting and storing goods. Whether intended for domestic use, trade, religious offerings, or funerary contexts, these objects tell a story of daily life as well as belief. Early handmade pieces sit alongside later wheel-thrown examples, combining Aegean and Near Eastern influences with strong local traditions and underscoring the remarkable archaeological richness of the island.

The history of how these objects entered the museum is itself part of the story. Much of the collection comes from the necropolis and sanctuary of Kition, in present-day Larnaca, and is closely tied to a Spanish naval expedition. In the summer of 1871, the frigate Arapiles sailed across the Mediterranean to acquire antiquities for the newly founded National Archaeological Museum. During this journey, the Italian consul in Larnaca, Riccardo Colucci, donated a significant group of Cypriot artifacts to the Spanish expedition—objects that now resurface in this display more than a century later.

Beyond the showcase itself, the museum has announced a program of talks, guided tours, and cultural activities designed to deepen public engagement with the exhibition. Details are available through the museum’s website and social media channels.

Since its launch in 2017, Vitrina Cero has become a space for discovery—one that complements the permanent galleries by revealing hidden corners of the collection. With Between East and West: Cyprus, the Island of Aphrodite, the National Archaeological Museum not only highlights a lesser-known chapter of its holdings, but also reminds visitors that the Mediterranean has always been a place of exchange, movement, and shared cultural memory.