Head of a Victorious Athlete Replica

<p>A replica of an ancient Greek original (1st century BC) known as 'Head of a Victorious Athlete', or the 'Benevento Head', currently held in the Louvre Museum, Paris. <br /> <br /> The original statue was created to commemorate the memory of a victorious athlete; a practice which maintained a long tradition in the Greek world even after the Roman conquest. <br /> <br /> The head was originally set on a marble pillar and the eyes had glass inlays, while red copper underlined the lips and the brows. <br /> <br /> The Hellenistic style of the piece suggests that it probably belongs to Greece's Roman period; the affected works of the chisel and the elegance under the headband have the kind of perfection encountered in works from the Greek Renaissance, under the reign of Augustus. Perhaps the Roman bronze artist sought inspiration in a large size Greek statue. <br /> <br /><br /></p>

A resin replica bust of a bronze known as the Benevento Head.

Also known as ‘The Head of a Victorious Athlete’, the original dates to around 50 BC and was found during an excavation of the ancient town of Herculaneum, located near modern-day Naples. The head was likely to have been mounted on a marble hermaic pillar, and was decorated with glass inlays for the eyes and red copper lips. The olive crown on his head references the prizes awarded to victorious athletes at the Olympian games.

The original bronze is currently housed in the Musée du Louvre, Paris.

An extraordinary home ornament inspired by the long-held influence of Ancient Greek statue in art and architecture.