NEW YORK, March 4 (AFP) - Police in New Jersey ordered a snow sculpture modeled on the famous nude Venus de Milo to be covered up after a neighbor complained, the artist said Thursday.

Elisa Gonzalez, 44, carved the ancient Greek-style torso from snow on her front lawn in Rahway and says her work was initially a hit.

"It looked very beautiful," she said. "We got a lot of attention from people in the neighborhood. Some of them got out and took pictures and spoke to us."

One neighbor clearly felt the snow nude -- headless, armless, and cut off above the knees -- was too hot.

"We had a visit from the local police who told us that a neighbor had complained about the statue and we needed to cover it up or knock it down," Gonzalez said. "We didn't want to have any problem with the police so we covered it up."

The original Venus de Milo, which is housed in Paris' Louvre museum, depicts a nude woman. She also is without arms, although her head is intact.