Statue of Athena

Statue of Athena. The head did not belong to the body. She wears a Corinthian helmet similar to the Ince Athena 59.148.8 The restoration was directed by the sculptor Antonio Canova. The statue has extensive recutting, the neck was shortened and is squashed onto the figure. Athena wears a peplos that reveals her feminine features. The weight of the statue is on the right straight leg with the left leg, bent at the knee and the shifting to the side. Her body is accentuated by many curves and her pose is light and fluid. The costume is not that symmetrical: there is an inverted V overfold at the hem and there is a short mantle hanging over the left shoulder , the peplos folds above the waist girdle are also assymetrical and this could be the result of extensive recutting. The aegis animates the figure and is worn across the torso, creating a diagonal line. When comparing the back and the front of the aegis there are certain differences and this indicates that the front was recut. Bartman noted that Athena statues which had the aegis diagonally dated in the 5th century BC, the style famous from Lemnia Athena and the bronze Piraeus Athena. The large shield was not part of the original statue. There was probably a different object to her side.The Gorgon's head on the shield is gruesome and is carved in an 18th century style, possibly by Carlo Albacini.