Help Identify Stone Statue of Roman or Greek Goddess please.

Hello All,

Can someone please help in identifying this statue for me. My dad purchased it from an estate sale some decades ago. Please ignore the small bangle and bracelet on it.



Thanks for the help!

 

Warrior helmet suggests Athena (or if Roman, Minerva)...

 

Thanks! Are these fairly common?

 

She's incomplete, isn't she? It appears she should be holding something as in this more modern representation.

Debora

 

Yes you're right, she does look incomplete But that's how we got it.

 

Yes, I wasn't aware she was incomplete. That's how we got it. Thanks!

 

It does, of course, effect resale if that's your purpose.

Debora

 

Are there any identifying marks or anything written down around near the base or on the bottom??

 

Unfortunately the underneath is all scratched up or rough, not sure how to put it. It's made of stone as you can see and is quite heavy as well. No intention to sell it but would be curious to know what it could fetch.

Thanks!

 

Without being able to touch it & going by photos alone, I would have thought she was bronze.

Possible it has been filled in with plaster or other non-metallic material for weight & stability.

There's definitely a post-neoclassical sensibility at work here, with a mix of conventions. Some things are traditional attributes of Athena/Minerva: helmet; 'scaled' corselet over female attire; & do I see a hint of a gorgoneion (Medusa head) at the décolletage? The little wings on the helmet really belong to Perseus' cap of invisibility (see Canova's sculpture). If it was the head alone, I would have thought the figure was male, as the hair does not trail down past the shoulders.


The feminizing touches, the puff sleeves & sweetheart neckline, the size & prominence of the breasts, tell me the original does not predate the 20th century.

A spear would be appropriate to Athena/Minerva. I agree that the sculptor probably had that goddess in mind, but Bellona shares some attributes, & the hand/arm positions of this sculpture of Frig may give a clue to what your lady once held.

 

Thanks ! I had already replied twice but it wasn't posting. Any idea of value please? Are these common?

 

An internet image search will show you that ancient/antique/vintage sculptural representations of Athena/Minerva are not uncommon. (They are also still being made; here's one FOB from China.) From what one can tell from your photographs and what you tell us, yours is incomplete, not finely cast, of undetermined materials and unmarked. I would think the value would be minimal.

Debora

 

Thanks Debora! It still is a nice piece for display and had no intention of selling either way. Just wanted to know what we had. Was fun learning here and will post more stuff should I have any questions!

 

It's quite impressive looking. And I think it makes a fabulous jewelry display piece!

Debora