On view
Ancient Mediterranean Art
Helmeted head of Athena,
ca. 50 CE
Roman
Julio-Claudian Period, 27–68 CE
y178
This head depicts the goddess Athena, known as Minerva by the Romans, wearing a helmet pushed up off of her face. While the body does not survive, we can reconstruct its general appearance since this is a Roman replication of an earlier Greek image of the goddess, likely dating to about 400 BCE. While the Greek original is not extant, many later copies are, and the best-preserved example of this type maintains both the body and the original head. Though slightly smaller, the Princeton bust is nearly identical, also exhibiting a slight inclination of the head, a plain helmet and noseguard in relief, and a loose treatment of the hair. The rolled earflaps underneath the helmet are a distinctive feature among this group of sculptures. They may depict an eastern style of cap that the goddess is wearing underneath her more typical helmet.
Information
Title
Helmeted head of Athena
Dates
ca. 50 CE
Medium
White marble, coarse-grained and highly crystalline
Dimensions
preserved: 32.4 × 19.2 × 21.3 cm (12 3/4 × 7 9/16 × 8 3/8 in.)
base: 14.1 × 15.5 × 15.4 cm (5 9/16 × 6 1/8 × 6 1/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. M. E. L. Joline in 1914
Object Number
y178
Place Collected
Italy, Rome
Period
Materials
Reportedly uncovered by the Borghese Villa and Gardens, Rome; purchased in Rome by Mrs. M. E. L. Joline in the early 20th century; given to the Museum in 1914.
-
ed. Walter Otto, Handbuch der Archäologie, (München: Beck, 1939-1963).
, Vol. 3: p. 184, n. 4 - B. S. Ridgway, et al., Greek sculpture in the Art Museum, Princeton University: Greek originals, Roman copies and variants, (Princeton, NJ: The Art Museum, Princeton University, 1994)., no. 6, pp. 24-27, illus.
- J. Michael Padgett, "The collections of ancient art: the early years," in "An art nuseum for Princeton: the early years", special issue, Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University 55, no. 1/2, (1996): p. 107-124., p. 113, fig. 6
