Chicago’s Halsted A&A Foundation acquires Important Roman Statue of Goddess Athena

In keeping with its commitment to the arts and education, Halsted A&A Foundation will display the Roman statue on extended view in the Tadao Ando-designed atrium of Wrightwood 659 in Chicago, debuting Saturday, January 25.

“This acquisition underscores Halsted A&A Foundation’s commitment to the advancement of education, research, and the arts in Chicago. By displaying the sculpture at Wrightwood 659, the foundation invites the public to see a work which has been largely out of general public view for nearly three centuries. Now, scholars, students, and visitors will be able to study the statue of Athena closely and interpret it from many perspectives, including those of art history, restoration practices, and gender studies,” said Karen Manchester, Curator, Halsted A&A Foundation.

Until Halsted A&A purchased the statue in 2023, the sculpture had been in the same British family for nearly 260 years. Landowner and politician William Weddell acquired the work in Rome in the mid-1700s for Newby Hall, his estate in North Yorkshire, about four hours outside of London. There, the goddess stood in a niche in a pink-hued circular gallery which was specially designed in the Neo-classical style by the noted architect Robert Adam.

Since its acquisition, a team of conservation specialists has studied the statue to determine its condition and the safest way to display it. The installation of the statue at Wrightwood 659 coincides with an exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago, Myth and Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection. The Torlonia Collection is the largest private assemblage of Roman marble sculptures in Italy, as well as, arguably, one of the most important private collections in the world. The Torlonia Collection originated in the 18th century, at the same time British travelers to Rome, like Weddell, were also acquiring classical antiquities.

The Halsted Athena is posed extending her hand, as if proffering a small owl, a symbol of her divine wisdom, to the viewer. She wears a light-weight sleeveless tunic that falls to the ground, and a sash-like aegis bearing a gorgon’s head is draped diagonally across her chest. A helmet sits on her head over her centrally-parted hairstyle of finely incised locks which are separated by deep channels. A cloak of heavier fabric encircles her body, a roll of its deeply cut folds crosses her midsection, and a loose corner falls to her left knee.

“The head of Athena is from one sculpture, carved during the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus (31 BC-14 CE), and the body from another, carved during the time of Emperor Claudius (41-54 CE). Like many sculptures sold in Rome in 18th-century Italy, the figure is composed of ancient and modern fragments. The practice of piecing together sculptures was not invariably an attempt to deceive customers. Rather, many buyers preferred complete pieces, even if composed of unrelated parts. Further, when restorers were unable to locate suitable ancient fragments, sculptors carved new ones. The largest restored parts of this figure are its proper left arm and a section which extends from the jawline to the chest,” said Manchester.

Main Image: Statue of Athena, Roman, first half of the 1st century CE, Marble, Height 74.5 in