Athena Velletri
The Statue of Athena Velletri
(Click the image for a full screen view)
Title
Pallade di Velletri (Pallas of Velletri).
Subject
The Goddess held spear and phiale (the hands are restored), wears a brief aegis (most of it hangs behind her), snaky belt, himation (mantle) over the peplus (dress) with long overfall, and a Corinthian helmet.
Function
The original is often now taken as the cult statue which stood beside Hephaestus in his Temple at Athens.
Date
This copy is from the 1st cent. CE and the original from about 420-410 BCE.
Artist
The original is associated with Alcamenes (pupil of Phidias), otherwise with Cresilas for the facial resemblance to his statue of Pericles.
Context
Velletri (anc. Velitrae), the birthplace of Augustus, 40 km south of Rome, Italy.
Findspot
When sculptor Berthel Thorvaldsen, accompanied by painter Rhoden and the critic of art Carl Ludwig Fernow, in November of 1797, entered the hall of De Santis family home, in Troncavia district at Velletri, remained in ecstasy. The 59 fragments of the statue of Pallas Athena who had been found again hardly two months before in the land of De Santis, were in good state of conservation much "to be recognizable with easy".
Original/Copy
This statue is a roman copy after a greek bronze original. There is red color in the hair, around the eyes and mouth. Part of the helmet, the right forearm, the hands, the feet and part of the mantle are restored.
Other Copies
Several other copies of this size, and reduced copies, are known.
- A second large-scale copy, the so-called "Atena della Centrale", can be found in the Montemartini Museum, Rome.
- The Statue of Athena (Velletri type) in the Martres Tolosane Museum, France.
- The Bust of Athena in the Glyptothek, Munich.
- The Bust of Athena in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens.
- The Bust of Athena in the British Museum, London.
- The Bust of Athena in the Antikenmuseum, Basel.
Material and Dimensions
Marble with H. 3.05 m
Collection
Paris, Musée du Louvre, Ma 464.
Gallery
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| Velletri front | Velletri right | Velletri left |
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| Bust front | Bust front eyes | Bust right |
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| Face front | Face front eyes | Face right |
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| Face right eyes | Legs front | Feet right |
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| Velletri front study | Velletri front stick | Right study |
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| Velletri left study | Bust front study | Bust right study |
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| Face proportions | Legs front study | Feet right study |
Tourist Information
This statue is exposed in room 15, collection of Greek Antiquities, department of Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities, Groung Floor, Denon access, Louvre Museum, Paris, France.
Due to lack of staff, the Louvre museum cannot maintain all of its rooms permanently open. A week-by-week schedule specifies which collections are open or closed on each day of the week. This information can be consulted at the Pyramid entrance, at the information desk or on the Internet (www.louvre.fr/en). Follow the links 'Visit' -> 'List of available galleries'.
Other Views
- Velletri Athena - Roman copy after an original, perhaps by Kresilas, ca. 430 BCE
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Links
- Wikipedia: Athena of Velletri.
- Perseus Project: Velletri Athena, Pallas of Velletri. (Munich.), VELITRAE (Velletri) Italy.
- Montemartini Museum: "Atena della Centrale".
- Martres Tolosane Museum: Statue of Athena (Velletri type).
- Antikenmuseum Basel: Bust of Athena.
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