The Goddess Athena is depicted here with centrally parted hair gathered in a long plait at the nape of the neck. She is wearing a helmet of Corinthian type pushed back over her forehead, the top of the helmet is decorated with a ram’s head in relief.

Athena is a prominent figure in Greek mythology, serving as the goddess of wisdom, warfare, and crafts. She is also the patron goddess of Athens and is often depicted as a warrior, known for her strategic brilliance and ability to guide heroes. Athena is the daughter of Zeus and is said to have sprung fully grown and armored from his head.

The ancient Greeks used several types of helmets throughout their history of which the Corinthian type was the most iconic. The Corinthian helmet was a distinctive bronze helmet that covered the entire head and neck, with openings for the eyes and mouth, and a large projection to protect the nape of the neck.

This marble head of the goddess Athena, close to the Vescovali type, is a Roman copy of a Greek 4th century BC prototype. Cf. LIMC, Athena, no. 253: Cyrene Museum 14033. The head would have come from a full-length statue of the goddess, draped and wearing her aegis. The statue is conventionally attributed to a range of masters associated with the late 4th century BC, one of which is Praxiteles.

For further discussion of the type see W. Schürmann, ‘Der Typus der Athena Vescovali und seine Umbildungen,’ in Antike Plastik, 27, 2001; I. Altripp, ‘Zu den Athenatypen Rospigliosi und Vescovali. Die Geschichte einer Verwechslung’, AA, 1996; W. Schürmann, ‘Der Typus der Athena Vescovali und seine Umbildungen’, AntPl, 27, 2000; I. Altripp, Athenastatuen der Spätklassik und des Hellenismus, Köln, 2010