462 - Head of Athena Lemnia, after Phidias – Italian School – 21st century

Head of Athena Lemnia, after Phidias – Italian School – 21st century A terracotta sculpted head of Athena Lemnia, made in Italy during the 21st century, based on the famous model by Phidias. The original bronze statue, created between 451 and 448 BC for the Athenians living as cleruchies or colonists on the island of Lemnos, is known only through a few Roman marble replicas. These include the head found near Rione Terra in Pozzuoli and the Palagi Head in Bologna, which experts consider one of the most faithful reproductions of the original. The statue stood on an open-air pedestal on the Acropolis of Athens and was regarded as one of Phidias’s masterpieces. The goddess adopts a pensive and absorbed pose, with soft cheeks, a harmonious nose, and a beauty praised by numerous ancient writers, including Lucian of Samosata, who hailed it as an exceptional work by Phidias, and Pausanias, who highlighted the Lemnian Athena among his creations. Her hairstyle is characterized by symmetrical locks that convey a sense of volume and softness. The original depiction shows the goddess with the aegis across her torso—interpreted in the reference text as a symbol of peace—and a peplos whose folds produce striking chiaroscuro effects. Her face, turned to the right, balances the position of her raised left arm. Athena, identified by the Romans with Minerva, was one of the principal deities of Greek mythology. Considered Zeus’s favorite daughter, she was born, according to mythological tradition, fully grown from the god’s head, armed with a shield decorated with the head of Medusa, a spear, an aegis, and a helmet. She was also known as Pallas and Parthenos, “the virgin.” Athens was home to her main temple, the Parthenon, and, according to legend, came under her protection after the goddess offered the olive tree to its inhabitants. Athena was the protector of Greek cities, the arts, crafts, and, in later mythology, wisdom. She was also a goddess of war and one of the ...