Dione e Afrodite (Partenone)

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Masterpiece in plaster, a replica from the original marble by Phidias. The sculptor's pair represents Dione and Aphrodite, part of the "Birth of Athena from Zeus' Head" group on the eastern frieze of the Parthenon, which decorated the temple of Athena Partenos on the Acropolis of Athens. The entire plastic complex was brought to Naples by artist Antonio Canova, entirely carved from marbles that Lord Elgin had taken to England from Athens. Thus, it is about primary molds from originals, essential today for a history of restoring those same Elgin marbles as well. All molds arrived in Naples in 1820 as a gift from King George IV of England to Ferdinand I of Bourbon. And all this stemmed from Antonio Canova's firm intention to enrich the Academy of Fine Arts with those archetypes of classical perfection, indispensable for the formation of future artists.