Athena of Velletri at the Louvre, Paris

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Many ancient copies of the bronze statue have been found (and the Baiae discovery suggests mass production of them), but the most famous is the 3.05 m (10 ft) high example discovered in the ruins of a Roman villa in a vineyard near Velletri in 1797. Upon rediscovery, it was purchased by Vincenzo Pacetti, who added the peak of the helmet, the straight forearm, the hands, the feet, the snakes, and a section of the cloak, and polished the overall surface. He then sold it to the French Directory, which transported it to Rome, where it was soon seized by Neapolitan armies when they briefly held the city from November to December 1798 during the opening stages of the War of the Second Coalition. France regained it in the Treaty of Florence (28 March 1801), and it was displayed at the Louvre from December 1803 onwards. This gigantic statue of Athena, discovered in Velletri in the eighteenth century, is a copy of a bronze effigy, now lost, known from Roman copies and fragments of antique casts found in Baia, near Naples. The original, dating from about 430 BC, is generally attributed to Cresilas, a Cretan sculptor who also created a portrait of Pericles (also on Scan the World), a copy of which is in the British Museum. The hero's oval face and sharply defined features are strikingly similar to those of the goddess. In 1797 Vicenzo Pacetti, an art restorer, discovered a huge statue, over three meters tall, in the ruins of a Roman villa near Velletri, a small Italian town whose name has become synonymous with copies of this style. The helmet and aegis indicate that the statue represents the goddess Athena-known by the Romans as Pallas or Minerva. The statue was purchased by French commissioners of the Directoire and taken to Rome before being confiscated by Neapolitan troops in 1798 and moved to royal collections in Naples. On 28 March 1800, the work was handed over to France by the Treaty of Florence. It has been on display at the Louvre since December 1803. This monumental work is a copy of a bronze effigy on the same scale, now lost, although several Roman copies survive. Fragments of antique casts were found during excavation of a Roman workshop specializing in ancient works, in Baia, near Naples. It's likely that these fragments were cast from the original, confirming the size and material of the original statue, which probably dated to the Classical period, in the late 5th century BC. The small size of the aegis, the goddess's long-sleeved tunic, and her cloak or himation gathered at the hips in a large triangular drape are all characteristic of the period. The solemn, hieratic pose of the goddess, her attributes, and the folds of the cloth are influenced by the Athenas sculpted by Phidias. The original from which this statue was copied has sometimes been identified as the statue created by Alcamenes in about 430-420 BC for the interior of the temple of Hephaistos on the agora in Athens. However, the style of the goddess's facial features makes it more likely that the statue is the work of the Cretan sculptor Cresilas, who worked on the Acropolis in Athens in the late 5th century BC. The regular oval shape of the face, together with the sharply defined brows, eyes, and nose, are strikingly similar to the bust of Pericles wearing a helmet, now in the British Museum. The bust is a copy of the statue of the strategist created by Cresilas in about 430 BC, according to Pliny the Elder in his Natural History. This work is mentioned again in the second century AD by Pausanias in his Periegesis when it was in the Acropolis in Athens. The Pallas of Velletri is therefore likely a Roman copy of an original by the Cretan master sculptor, although it's impossible to say precisely which statue, whether the original was religious in nature, and what building the original was made for. This object is part of "Scan The World", a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory. Scan the World is creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks, and landmarks from across the globe for public access for free. It's an open-source community effort, and if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help.