Search
Skip to main content
Head of Athena

Head of Athena

Artist/Maker
Datemid-2nd century CE (after a 5th century BCE Greek original)
MediumWhite Anatolian marble with remnants of bronze eyelashes
DimensionsOverall: 11 3/8 × 7 1/4 × 8 5/8 in. (28.9 × 18.4 × 21.9 cm)
Credit LineGift of Edward Capps Sr.
Object number1939.139
Status
On view
More Information
The goddess of wisdom and war, Athena (Roman Minerva) was a major deity for both Greeks and Romans. Although her body and impressive armor are now missing, the holes around her forehead were once used for securing a metal helmet. Along with paint, most of which does not survive, the remains of her metal eyelashes and pupils carved out to fit inlaid stone (now lost) gave the sculpture a lifelike appearance. This statue may have been housed in a temple. Realistic statues of deities reinforced the belief that temples were meant to function as their earthly homes.
Exhibition History
Goddess and Polis: The Panathenaic Festival in Ancient Athens
  • Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH (September 19, 1992 - December 6, 1992 )
  • Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, FL (January 9, 1993 - April 16, 1993 )
  • Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA (May 26, 1993 - August 1, 1993 )
  • Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, NJ (August 31, 1993 - November 28, 1993 )
Collections
  • On View
  • Ancient
This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator. Noticed a mistake? Have some extra information about this object? Please contact us.