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{{Short description|Roman-era statue of Athena Parthenos}}
[[File:NAMA_Athéna_Varvakeion.jpg|thumb|230px|The Varvakeion Athena as displayed in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens]]
[[File:Statuette of Athena (3rd cent. A.D.) in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens on 14 April 2018 (cropped).jpg|thumb|230px|The Varvakeion Athena as displayed in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens]]
The '''Varvakeion Athena''' is Roman-era statue of [[Athena Parthenos]] now part of the collection of the [[National Archaeological Museum of Athens]]. It is generally considered to be the most faithful reproduction of the famous [[chryselephantine]] statue which once stood in the [[Parthenon]].<ref name="NAM">{{cite web|url=http://nam.culture.gr/portal/page/portal/deam/virtual_exhibitions/EAMS/EAMG129|title=The Varvakeion Athena (129)|publisher=National Archaeological Museum|accessdate=2016-06-07}}</ref>
The '''Varvakeion Athena''' is a Roman-era statue of [[Athena Parthenos]] now part of the collection of the [[National Archaeological Museum of Athens]]. It is generally considered to be the most faithful reproduction of the [[chryselephantine]] statue made by [[Phidias]] and his assistants, which once stood in the [[Parthenon]].<ref name="NAM">{{cite web|url=http://nam.culture.gr/portal/page/portal/deam/virtual_exhibitions/EAMS/EAMG129|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916022900/http://nam.culture.gr/portal/page/portal/deam/virtual_exhibitions/EAMS/EAMG129|url-status=dead|archive-date=2016-09-16|title=The Varvakeion Athena (129)|publisher=National Archaeological Museum|access-date=2016-06-07}}</ref> It is dated to 200–250 AD.<ref name="Kaltsas"/>

==Description==
The statue is {{convert|1.05|m|in|abbrev=on}} tall, approximately one twelfth the estimated height of the original.<ref name="Kaltsas">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s4glewvbsakC&pg=PA104&dq=Varvakeion+Athena&hl=en|title=Sculpture in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens|first=Nikolaos|last=Kaltsas|page=104|publisher=Kapon Editions|location=Athens|date=2002|accessdate=2016-06-07}}</ref> It is carved of [[pentelic marble]] and bears traces of red and yellow paint. Athena is dressed in a [[peplos]] belted with a [[zone]] in the form of two snakes; over this she wears he [[aegis]], decorated with snakes and with the [[gorgoneion]] in the center.<ref name="Kaltsas"/> She wears an [[Attic helmet]] with the cheek guards upturned; it has three crests, the center sporting a [[sphinx]] and those on the sides with a [[pegasus]].<ref name="NAM"/><ref name="Kaltsas"/> Her left hand rests a the rim of a shield which also bears the gorgoneion; the shield rests against the ''oikouros ophis'' (sacred snake) identified with [[Erichthonios]], the city's legendary founder<ref name="NAM"/>. The outstretched right hand is supported by a column and holds a winged figure of [[Nike (mythology)|Nike]]; the head of this smaller image is missing. The whole assemblage rests on a rectangular base.<ref name="Kaltsas"/>
The statue is {{convert|1.05|m|in|abbr=on}} tall, approximately one twelfth the estimated height of the original.<ref name="Kaltsas">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s4glewvbsakC&dq=Varvakeion+Athena&pg=PA104|title=Sculpture in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens|first=Nikolaos|last=Kaltsas|page=104|publisher=Kapon Editions|location=Athens|date=2002|access-date=2016-06-07|isbn=9780892366866}}</ref> It is carved of [[pentelic marble]] and bears traces of red and yellow paint. [[Athena]] is dressed in a [[peplos]] belted with a [[zone (vestment)|zone]] in the form of two snakes; over this she wears the [[aegis]], decorated with snakes and with the [[gorgoneion]] in the center.<ref name="Kaltsas"/> She wears an [[Attic helmet]] with the cheek guards upturned; it has three crests, the center sporting a [[sphinx]] and those on the sides a [[pegasus]].<ref name="NAM"/><ref name="Kaltsas"/> Her left hand rests on the rim of a shield which also bears the gorgoneion; the shield rests against the ''oikouros ophis'' (guardian snake) identified with [[Erichthonios]], the city's legendary founder.<ref name="NAM"/> The outstretched right hand is supported by a column and holds a winged figure of [[Nike (mythology)|Nike]], the head of which is missing.<ref name="harrison"/> This smaller image is likewise garbed in a peplos and is turned somewhat towards the main figure.<ref name="harrison"/> The whole assemblage rests on a rectangular base.<ref name="Kaltsas"/>

==Differences from the original==
Certain differences between the original as described by [[Pausanias]] may be noted. The original base was decorated with a frieze showing the birth of [[Pandora]], whereas the copy is plain; Pausanias also describes a spear which the copy lacks. The shield lacks relief decorations on the front and back known from other sources.<ref name="Kaltsas"/>
Certain differences between the original as described by [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]] and [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]] may be noted. The original base was decorated with a [[frieze]] showing the birth of [[Pandora]], whereas the copy is plain; Pausanias also describes a spear which the copy lacks. The shield lacks the [[amazonomachy]] on the front which Pliny describes.<ref name="Kaltsas"/> The presence of the column is cited by many in the argument over whether the original required a similar support, though many reconstructions omit it (e.g. that in the [[Nashville Parthenon]]).<ref name="harrison"/>

==Discovery==
The statue is named for the locale of its discovery in 1880<ref>{{cite book|
The statue is named for the locale of its discovery in 1880,<ref name="harrison">{{cite book|
editor1-first=Olga|editor1-last=Palagia|editor2-first=J. J.|editor2-last=Pollitt|
editor1-first=Olga|editor1-last=Palagia|editor2-first=J. J.|editor2-last=Pollitt|
publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1996|
publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1996|
Line 13: Line 14:
first=Evelyn B.|last=Harrison|
first=Evelyn B.|last=Harrison|
chapter=Pheidias|
chapter=Pheidias|
page=42|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7qSsh7agZxEC&pg=PA42|accessdate=2016-06-29}}</ref>, near the original site of the [[Varvakeio|Varvakeion School]].<ref name="NAM"/>
pages=42–51|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7qSsh7agZxEC&pg=PA42|access-date=2016-06-29|isbn=9780521657389}}</ref> in the ruins of a Roman house near the original site of the [[Varvakeio|Varvakeion School]].<ref name="NAM"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Mikalson |first1=Jon D. |display-authors=etal |title=Ancient Greek Religion |date=2021 |publisher=John Wiley |isbn=978-1-119-56562-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=drRFEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA244 |quote=The Varvakeion Athena […] was found in 1880 in the ruins of a Roman house near the Varvakeion Lyceum in central Athens.}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
{{commons category|Athena Varvakeion|the Varvakeion Athena}}

{{National Archaeological Museum of Athens}}

[[Category:Roman copies of 5th-century BC Greek sculptures]]
[[Category:3rd-century Roman sculptures]]
[[Category:1880 archaeological discoveries]]
[[Category:Sculptures of Athena]]
[[Category:Archaeological discoveries in Attica]]
[[Category:National Archaeological Museum, Athens]]
[[Category:Marble sculptures in Greece]]
[[Category:Sculptures in Athens]]
[[Category:Sculptures of snakes]]
[[Category:Pandora]]
[[Category:Statues in Greece]]
[[Category:Sculptures of women in Greece]]
[[Category:Sculptures of Nike]]

Revision as of 18:32, 4 August 2024

The Varvakeion Athena as displayed in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens

The Varvakeion Athena is a Roman-era statue of Athena Parthenos now part of the collection of the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. It is generally considered to be the most faithful reproduction of the chryselephantine statue made by Phidias and his assistants, which once stood in the Parthenon.[1] It is dated to 200–250 AD.[2]

Description

The statue is 1.05 m (41 in) tall, approximately one twelfth the estimated height of the original.[2] It is carved of pentelic marble and bears traces of red and yellow paint. Athena is dressed in a peplos belted with a zone in the form of two snakes; over this she wears the aegis, decorated with snakes and with the gorgoneion in the center.[2] She wears an Attic helmet with the cheek guards upturned; it has three crests, the center sporting a sphinx and those on the sides a pegasus.[1][2] Her left hand rests on the rim of a shield which also bears the gorgoneion; the shield rests against the oikouros ophis (guardian snake) identified with Erichthonios, the city's legendary founder.[1] The outstretched right hand is supported by a column and holds a winged figure of Nike, the head of which is missing.[3] This smaller image is likewise garbed in a peplos and is turned somewhat towards the main figure.[3] The whole assemblage rests on a rectangular base.[2]

Differences from the original

Certain differences between the original as described by Pausanias and Pliny may be noted. The original base was decorated with a frieze showing the birth of Pandora, whereas the copy is plain; Pausanias also describes a spear which the copy lacks. The shield lacks the amazonomachy on the front which Pliny describes.[2] The presence of the column is cited by many in the argument over whether the original required a similar support, though many reconstructions omit it (e.g. that in the Nashville Parthenon).[3]

Discovery

The statue is named for the locale of its discovery in 1880,[3] in the ruins of a Roman house near the original site of the Varvakeion School.[1][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "The Varvakeion Athena (129)". National Archaeological Museum. Archived from the original on 2016-09-16. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Kaltsas, Nikolaos (2002). Sculpture in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens. Athens: Kapon Editions. p. 104. ISBN 9780892366866. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
  3. ^ a b c d Harrison, Evelyn B. (1996). "Pheidias". In Palagia, Olga; Pollitt, J. J. (eds.). Personal Styles in Greek Sculpture. Yale Classical Studies. Vol. XXX. Cambridge University Press. pp. 42–51. ISBN 9780521657389. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  4. ^ Mikalson, Jon D.; et al. (2021). Ancient Greek Religion. John Wiley. ISBN 978-1-119-56562-8. The Varvakeion Athena […] was found in 1880 in the ruins of a Roman house near the Varvakeion Lyceum in central Athens.
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