The Hope Athena is an ideal representation of the goddess of wisdom and war. All it takes is one glance at this statue to notice the subtle clues that undoubtedly pin the identity of this woman as Athena. The most blatant clue to her identity is the aegis placed directly in the middle of her garment, which is a trademark symbols worn by both Athena and Zeus and typically characterized by the Gorgon Medusa. Being the goddess of war, it is fitting that she is wearing a helmet topped with a sphinx and griffin because these are symbolic representations of power and knowledge. Standing at an impressive seven feet, which is well above the average height of a woman, this statue gives off a larger-than-life aura. Because women were much shorter during
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Similar to how the Hope Athena is easily identifiable as the goddess Athena because of her aegis and helmet, there is a certain attribute the Lansdowne Artemis holds that makes it similarly identifiable. It would be nearly impossible to identify this statue as Artemis had it not been for the furrow at the back of it. This is where a quiver would have originally been attached, which is fitting for the goddess of the hunt. It is incredible to think that something as seemingly insignificant as a furrow at the back could reveal such a large clue about the identity of this statue. Although these two statutes differ mainly because the Lansdowne Artemis is missing much of its original composition, they share many similar attributes. Similar to the Hope Athena, the Lansdowne Artemis features very detailed wet drapery that covers most of her body and only shows her feet. Although her head and arms are missing, the wet drapery helps accentuate her womanly figure in a conservative way. Also, similar to that of Athena, her contrapasso stance gives the statue a lifelike appeal and it seems as if she's about to take a step forward of her stage. When looking at this statue at first glance, it’s initial appearance is very similar to what it sounds like - a headless, armless women. However, after a more detailed examination, it becomes clear that there is much more to this
Similar to how the Hope Athena is easily identifiable as the goddess Athena because of her aegis and helmet, there is a certain attribute the Lansdowne Artemis holds that makes it similarly identifiable. It would be nearly impossible to identify this statue as Artemis had it not been for the furrow at the back of it. This is where a quiver would have originally been attached, which is fitting for the goddess of the hunt. It is incredible to think that something as seemingly insignificant as a furrow at the back could reveal such a large clue about the identity of this statue. Although these two statutes differ mainly because the Lansdowne Artemis is missing much of its original composition, they share many similar attributes. Similar to the Hope Athena, the Lansdowne Artemis features very detailed wet drapery that covers most of her body and only shows her feet. Although her head and arms are missing, the wet drapery helps accentuate her womanly figure in a conservative way. Also, similar to that of Athena, her contrapasso stance gives the statue a lifelike appeal and it seems as if she's about to take a step forward of her stage. When looking at this statue at first glance, it’s initial appearance is very similar to what it sounds like - a headless, armless women. However, after a more detailed examination, it becomes clear that there is much more to this