Bust of Athena; Rome, 2nd–3rd centuries A.D.

Bust of Athena; Rome, 2nd–3rd centuries A.D.
Bronze.
Measurements: 4 x 2 cm.
Provenance: Family legacy of Ramon Martí Alsina and Ricard Martí Aguiló. Archaeological collection formed from the 1950s by successive generations of the family, through acquisitions in European galleries and auction houses.

A full-relief sculpture depicting Pallas Athena, that is, the goddess as a warrior wearing a military helmet. Athena is the Greek goddess of war, civilization, wisdom, strategy, the arts, justice, and skill—one of the most important deities of Olympus. She was worshipped throughout Ancient Greece, and in Rome she was identified with Minerva. A virgin goddess, she was the parthenogenetic daughter of Zeus, born from his forehead, and although she was the patron goddess of several cities, she was best known as the protector of Athens and the entire region of Attica. Frequently depicted in art, her iconography exerted a profound influence on Greek thought, especially regarding concepts of justice, wisdom, and the social role of culture and the arts.