Fidias
12.40x6.00 m
Athena Parthenos
Artist
FidiasDescription
The statue of Athena Parthenos was a monumental chryselephantine sculpture of the goddess Athena, standing at about 13 meters high, made with a core of cypress wood and layered with gold and ivory plates, depicting her in a helmet, holding a shield and spear.
Historical Context
Created by Phidias in the mid-5th century BCE as an offering from the city of Athens to Athena, this statue symbolized the power and unity of Athens after the Persian Wars.
Artistic Movement
Classical Greek Sculpture
Year
2001
Dimensions
1300.00 × ? cm
Materials
Gold and ivory (chryselephantine)
Technique
Sculpture
Conservation Status
n/a
Location
Unknow
Provenance
Commissioned by the Athenian government for the Parthenon on the Acropolis.
Exhibition History
Displayed in the Parthenon until it was lost in antiquity.
Inscriptions & Signatures
No visible signature.
Frame Information
n/a
Condition Reports
The original statue was lost at an unknown date; many replicas are known.
References & Bibliography
Documented in ancient texts by Pausanias and Pliny the Elder.