The Strangford Shield

Summary

Roman marble copy of the shield of the gold and ivory statue of Athena from the Parthenon. Traces of the original paint remain. The shield was traeted in 1998 for permanent exhibition.

Description of object

Roman marble copy of the shield of the gold and ivory statue of Athena from the Parthenon, showing Pheidias and Pericles as two men standing back-to-back below the central mask of a gorgon: Pheidias the balding figure on the left with arms raised, with Perikles to the right, one foot raised on a fallen Amazon and arms raised obscuring his face from view. Traces of the original paint remain.

Choice of methods

Visual examination

• Macroscopic

Bibliography

Pryce, F N; Smith, A H, Catalogue of Greek Sculpture in the British Museum, I-III, London, BMP, 1892. Sculpture 302: ”Fragment of shield supposed to be a rough copy from the shield of the statue of Athene Parthenos (…) Red colour remains on the two serpents which encircle the Gorgon’s head, on the shield of one of the Greeks and in several places of the draperies.” (w. no illustration)