Athena at The Louvre, Paris

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This Pentelic marble sculpture was crafted around 50 AD and showcases Athena as part of a larger group work, "Athena and Marsyas," reconstructed by the renowned artist Myron from Berlin. The figures clad in peplos are featured prominently in a series of antique replicas that have been meticulously preserved in Frankfurt, allowing us to confidently identify the walking figure as none other than Athena herself. The original bronze sculpture is attributed to the skilled hands of Myron, who created it around 450 BC on the Acropolis of Athens. Here, Athena stood beside Marsyas, and the scene depicted the birth of music: the goddess disdainfully rejecting and hurling the instrument to the ground, while Marsyas discovered the flute and eagerly took possession of it. This captivating theme was a staple in theatrical performances, which ultimately led to Marsyas' brutal torture and flaying at the hands of Cupid and Athena herself.