The Venus de Milo was often considered an important artistic finding since its discovery in 1820 but it did not achieve its reputation as an icon until later. However, the exact circumstances in which she was discovered are uncertain and are likely to remain this way forever. But we do know that the Louvre and, in effect, French art as a whole, had suffered considerable losses at this period when Napoleon's stolen art collection was restored to their home countries. The museum has lost some of its most famous items, such as Laocoon of Rome and His Sons and Venus de Medici of Italy.The hole this left in French culture has helped the Venus de Milo to become an international icon on the perfect road. Based on early sketches, it was known that the plinth that had been removed from the statue had dates on it, indicating that it was made after the Classical era, which was the most desirable artistic time. This prompted the French to cover the plinth, in an attempt to dissimulate this fact before their 1821 return to the Louvre. She held a top spot in the gallery, and became iconic, mostly due to the branding campaign of the Louvre and emphasis on its importance to regain national pride. Therefore she is the most notable and universally known statue of Venus.