explore | Grilled Cheese

Explore Log in Sign up

Photos Videos All People

@anthonymajanlahti.bsky.social Oct 11, 2026, 7:56 PM

The C2 CE Varese #Athena, now in palazzo #Torlonia on via della Conciliazione. Sold in 1876 by then-owners of palazzo #Varese, it represents the only traceable piece from the original collection.

THE VARESE ATHENA, C. 180-190 CE. PALAZZO TORLONIA

This magnificent statue hints at what was lost from palazzo Varese when in 1876 its owners at the time, the Calabresi Talenti family, decided to sell the statues that had been in the building for 200 years and more. The buyers were the Torlonia family, avid "collectors of collections", who had already snapped up the Albani and Giustiniani collections. This statue was known as early as 1524, when it had a different head and an inscription on its base that has now vanished. Its current appearance is due to C19 restorations, including the head and neck, the top of the tree, the owl, her forearm, and the front of the shield. The heavily-draped white marble statue of Athena is shown against a dark background, wearing a Corinthian helmet and holding a shield, while her hand rests on a gnarled tree trunk coiled by a serpent.

Terms of Use Privacy Policy Community Standards Help Get the app

Grilled Cheese is a product of Village Compute

Version devBuilt at: 2026-10-15 18:51:49 EDT