Halsted A&A Foundation acquires Roman Athena statue, on view at Wrightwood 659

A significant Roman-era statue of the Greek goddess Athena (dating to the early 1st century CE) has been acquired by Chicago's Halsted A&A Foundation, which supports the preservation and study of fine art, with a focus on Asian, Near Eastern, Greek, Roman and Egyptian works. Reflecting its mission to support the arts and education, the Foundation has placed the statue on long-term view at Wrightwood 659, located in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighbourhood in a building transformed by Pritzker Prize winner Tadao Ando, from January 25, 2025.

"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 [the] general [public's] 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," states Karen Manchester, curator, Halsted A&A Foundation, in the project's press release.

The statue remained in the same British family for over 260 years before its acquisition in 2023. Originally purchased in Rome by landowner and politician William Weddell in the mid-1700s, the sculpture stood in a custom-designed Neo-classical gallery at his North Yorkshire estate, Newby Hall. Architect Robert Adam created the circular pink gallery specifically for works like this.

Since it arrived in Chicago, the statue has undergone careful study and conservation. Its public debut coincides with Myth and Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection at the Art Institute of Chicago—an exhibition showcasing the world's most significant private assemblage of Roman marbles in Italy. As the release informs, "The Torlonia Collection originated in the 18th century, at the same time British travellers to Rome, like Weddell, were also acquiring classical antiquities."

Known as the Halsted Athena, the statue depicts the goddess in a dynamic pose, arm extended as if offering a small owl—a symbol of her 'divine wisdom'. She wears a flowing sleeveless tunic that falls to the ground, a sash-like aegis with a gorgon's head draped diagonally across her chest and a helmet resting over her finely incised, centrally parted hair. A cloak of heavier fabric wraps around her form, "a roll of its deeply cut folds crosses her midsection and a loose corner falls to her left knee," they add.

"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)," Manchester notes in the press release. "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," she adds.