Statuette of Athena Parthenos; Magna Graecia or Hellenistic period, c. 400-200 BC.

Statuette of Athena Parthenos; Magna Graecia or Hellenistic period, c. 400-200 BC.
Modeled and fired terra cotta.
Intact piece. It shows slight signs of superficial wear and visible restoration in the upper part of the helmet.
Provenance: Georges Savès collection.
Measurements: 17,5 cm.

Round sculpture of Athena Parthenos, i.e. the goddess as a warrior carrying the helmet and shield with the snake next to it. In addition, probably in the left hand she carried a figure of the winged victory, although it is not currently appreciated. This model was established by Phidias, for the Acropolis of Athens.

Athena is the Greek goddess of war, civilization, wisdom, strategy, arts, justice and skill, one of the most important deities of Olympus. She was worshipped throughout Ancient Greece, and in Rome she was assimilated with Minerva. Virgin Goddess, she was a parthenogenetic daughter of Zeus, born from his forehead, and although she was patroness of several cities, she was best known as protector of Athens and the entire region of Attica. Widely represented in art, her iconography exerted a profound influence on Greek thought, especially on concepts relating to justice, wisdom and the social function of culture and the arts.

This piece comes from the collection of Georges Savès (1908-1985), a French numismatist and collector with a deep vocation for archaeological study. Heir to a family tradition of collecting, he devoted himself fully to historical and numismatic research since the 1950s, especially on Toulouse and Gallic coins. Throughout his life, he assembled an eclectic collection of archaeological, ethnographic and artistic pieces, enriched in 1966 with the acquisition of part of the Roger Bédiat collection. Author of specialized studies, his legacy remains a reference in the academic and patrimonial fields.