I don't know if this has been talked about much here before (this board lacks a search feature, btw) but I just watched some of the final episodes and started to think about something.

When Gordon sees Shelly at the Double R and starts to praise her looks he refers her to Venus de Milo, the statue without arms. That statue appears in the Red Room also. So, if the Red Room / Waiting Room / the Black Lodge would be different to different people, could it be so that Dale sees the statue there because she has so strong feelings for Annie? Like, if it could be there to either remind Dale of his feelings for Annie or to show us some of the inner feelings Dale has. To show that Dale has a big place in his heart for someone he finds beautiful.

This probably is realy far fetched again but to me it's pretty interesting to see that the odd statue seen at the odd place is actually mentioned in the series. It could be just a homage to the statue but there is always the possibility for it to mean something more.

An interesting thought, but remember the Venus De Milo in the red room was originally filmed in 1989 with the pilot (and later aired as part of episode 2). Also, technically it's not a venus de milo, becasue it has arms and hands, right? Anyway, there's little likely hood that the writers in 1989 new that Annie was going to be introduced over a year later, and that the statue would represent her in Dale's red room trip.

Yes, but you could make the same argument about the use of the "actual" de Milo in the hallway area of the lodge.  At least that statue could fall under the original interpretation because we only ever see it in the final episode.

To me, it tends to be a weird Lynchian moment of misogyny; the statue in the red room is of a style called Venus Pudica, or shy Venus, who covers herself... the hallway Venus, most certainly a copy of the de Milo, has had her arms ripped off so she has to stand totally exposed and helpless.  PLUS, both statues have disappeared by the end of the lodge sequence of 29, for whatever reason.  So women are violated and abducted... and SILENT.  :) 

This might seem like a bit much, but remember that much of the TP mystique is really all about various forms of violence against the ladies.  And how we like to watch.  :)

Has anyone seen David Lynch's daughter's movie Boxing Helena? Sherilyn Fenn has her arms and legs cut off and is kept in bed that way by Julian Sand's character...

The Red Room Venus is a Venus de Medici.

Hadn't Jen said that either her father's or her grandmother's house had a Venus?  Seems to be a family thing.

I have a book called Disarmed by Gregory Curtis about the long history of the original statue. It really is fascinating. There's so much mystery attached to it.  

An interesting thought, but remember the Venus De Milo in the red room was originally filmed in 1989 with the pilot (and later aired as part of episode 2). Also, technically it's not a venus de milo, becasue it has arms and hands, right? Anyway, there's little likely hood that the writers in 1989 new that Annie was going to be introduced over a year later, and that the statue would represent her in Dale's red room trip.

 Well, I meant the actual Venus de Milo that is seen in the final episode.

But even if it would've been Venus de Milo in Cooper's dream, it could still have the connection to Dale and Annie. I mean, the whole Red Room thing with the LMFAP and even BOB were filmed before they actually had the "real" purpose for them. That's how it works with David. He might add something to the scenery without actually knowing why he would do so. Later the pieces would connect in his mind and he would create a new meaning to it.

Anyway, the statue in Cooper's dream most certainly hasn't got anything to do with Annie but the statue seen in the final episode might as well be there for that kind of a symbolic meaning.

The Red Room Venus is a Venus de Medici.

 That is Aphrodite in fullsize, right? I don't really know the differences between them, i mean the history and all. Wasn't there a dolphin involved?

The Venus de Medici has arms, which are covering her naughty bits (a modest Venus, as geoff mentioned.) There is another Venus sculpture in Boxing Helena, besides the DeMilo; the one by Bertel Thorvaldsen (she's holding an apple.) When Dr. Nick is sending Helena flowers, he's writing on cards with the Venus theme (like Boticelli's.)

I don't think it's a comment about violence against women. The Greeks and Romans honored the goddess with sacred prostitution, which was actually demanded of women before they were married in Greece. So, she represents hot, sexy young thangs. Sex outside of marriage. Fun

There is another Venus sculpture in Boxing Helena, too; the one by Bertel Thorvaldsen (she's holding an apple.) 

Some people believe that the Venus de Milo was originally one of the type holding the apple.

And I certainly didn't mean that the statue on its own is a symbol of violence against women... but that its use in conjunction with the other statue in the Red Room can give that impression.

Yup. It's generally been agreed that the Milos statue had an apple. A matching hand holding an apple an a left arm were unearthed at the same site.

I wonder if the Saturn lamp has anything to do with the statues? Saturn was Venus' brother, and he overthrew their father.