Ares Borghese at The Louvre, Paris

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The Ares Borghese is a stunning Roman marble statue that dates back to the imperial era, specifically to the 1st or 2nd century AD. Standing at an impressive 2.11m high, this masterpiece is easily identifiable as Ares due to his distinctive helmet and ankle ring bestowed upon him by his lover Aphrodite. Interestingly, this statue may have preserved some features from an original bronze work created in the 5th century BC. The cult and representation of Ares are remarkably scarce in ancient Greek art, particularly in sculpture. Some scholars believe that this statue could be derived from one crafted by Alcamenes, a renowned Athenian sculptor who allegedly created a statue of Ares for the Athenian agora. However, this theory is rendered impossible due to the temple's relocation during Augustus' reign, as well as the fact that other statues known to derive from Alcamenes' work depict the god wearing a breastplate. Consequently, it is possible that this statue is not a copy of Alcamenes', but rather a Roman creation inspired by classicising or Neo-Attic styles. Over time, this type of statue became widely disseminated and was often paired with female statues of the Venus de Milo variety to depict imperial Roman couples symbolizing the union between military might and peace. The famous Mars and Venus statues are exemplary of this trend. Originally part of the Borghese collection, the Ares Borghese was purchased by Napoleon in 1807 from its former owners.