MINERVA bust of woman wearing helmet 3D print model

Marble and bronze bust of helmeted Athena The British Museum

Culture/Period | Roman Excavated/Findspot | Villa Casali  Materials | Marble; Bronze Technique | Inlaid Dimensions | Height: 68.58 centimetres Department | Greek & Roman Antiquities

Minerva was the Roman goddess of wisdom and sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. She was born with weapons from the head of Jupiter. After impregnating the titaness Metis, Jupiter recalled a prophecy that his own child would overthrow him. Fearing that their child would gzrow stronger than he and rule the Heavens in his place, Jupiter swallowed Metis whole. The titaness forged weapons and armor for her child while within the father-god, and the constant pounding and ringing gave him a headache. To relieve the pain, Vulcan used a hammer to split Jupiter's head and, from the cleft, Minerva emerged, whole, adult, and bearing her mother's weapons and armor. From the 2nd century BC onwards, the Romans equated her with the Greek goddess Athena. She was the virgin goddess of music, poetry, medicine, wisdom, commerce, weaving, crafts, and magic. She is often depicted with her sacred creature, an owl usually named as the owl of Minerva, which symbolised her association with wisdom and knowledge.

NOW DIGITALLY REMASTERED - 3D PRINT READY BY STUDIOX  

The current model on cgtrader.com has 100k points in complexity, medium (M) scale. Can be printed up to ~30cm high without losing details.

You can download a more simplified model from ' http://3dsha.re/product/minerva/ ', 25k points in complexity, medium (S) scale. Can be printed up to ~15 cm without losing details.

3D Scaning method photogrammetry with Agisoft PhotoScan Pro V1.2. Mesh fixing, digital topologizing and UV mapping with Pixologic ZBrush R7 P3. Renders on Cinema 4D R18.  

The British Museum - Curator's comments

Roman version of a Greek work of the 4th century BC. The bronze helmet and drapery were made by the sculptor Albacini, copying a bust of Athena now in the Vatican Museum.Cook 2013, nr. 244:

Townley's description; ‘A head of Minerva, found 1783 in the Villa Casali amongst ruins, which are supposed to have belonged to the Baths of Olimpiodorus; the eyes anciently were formed of precious stones, or vitrified pastes; it originally had a helmet of bronze, the fastenings of which are still apparent’ (TY 12/3, park drawing room 6). That the head was found in the Villa Casali is repeated in TY12/12, the Parlour Catalogue owned by Simon Townley, and TY 12/5, but according to Jenkins it was found in the Villa Palombara near S. Maria Maggiore (letter dated 12 June 1782, TY 7/414). The same letter demonstrates that alternative dates for the discovery (1783 in TY 10/3, fo. 23, and TY 12/3; and 1784 in TY 12/5 and TY 12/12) must be wrong. In TY 10/3, moreover, the findspot is given as ‘on ye Esquiline hill in ruins yt are supposed to have been ye baths of Olympiodorus’, perhaps another of that transcript’s many errors.

Bought from Jenkins for £100 (TY 8/78-79, TY 10/3, addenda to TY 10/6). In his first letter on the object (TY 7/414), Jenkins reported that the ancient bronze helmet was missing and was to be restored. He had shown the head to Angelica Kaufman and her husband, who were staying with him at Castelgondolfo. Jenkins later found that it was also necessary to have the bust restored in bronze (TY 7/416, 2 November 1782), although he had originally intended to use alabaster (TY 7/417, 8 January 1783). The restoration was carried out by Albacini (additional note in the Towneley Hall copy of the parlour catalogue). The head was still at Leghorn in November 1783 (TY 7/421), but by April 1784, it was in London (TY 7/422/1). Townley called it ‘a divine bit of sculpture’ (TY 7/422/2).

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