Athena with an Owl

Description A maidenly and surprisingly modest Athena bends her head forward. Perched on her hand is an owl, the emblem of her wisdom. Her war-like aspect is downplayed here, although her upraised left hand once held a staff or spear, and she wears a helmet crowned by a sphinx. The simplicity of the figure heightens appreciation of the artist's skill.

Conservation

Date	Description	Narrative
3/18/1992	Treatment	other
11/30/2000	Treatment	other
6/25/2001	Treatment	other

Exhibitions

• Goddess and Polis: The Panathenaic Festival in Ancient Athens. Hood Museum of Art, Hanover; Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa; Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond; Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton. 1992-1993.
• Pandora's Box: Women in Classical Greece. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas; Antikenmuseum Basel und Sammlung Ludwig, Basel. 1995-1996.

Provenance Henri Leman, Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1929, by purchase [Joseph Brummer as agent; Brummer inv. no. X401]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters, 1929