Statue of an owl

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Provision of image

Inventory number

Ακρ. 1347

Artist

Attic workshop

Category

Sculpture

Period

Archaic Period

Date

Beginning of 5th cent. BC

Dimensions

Height: 0.91 m
Length: 0.4 m
Width: 0.55 m

Material

Marble from Penteli

Location

Museum entrance

Description
Bibliography

Marble statue of an owl of an oversize stature. The largest piece was found around 1838 near the Sanctuary of Artemis Brauronia, during excavation work on the Acropolis. Near that piece two monolithic columns were also discovered and it is quite possible that originally the owl was set up on one of them. Another fragment of the statue was located in 1889 at the Parthenon's north side and part of one leg was found in 1933.

Parts of the legs, the ending of the beak and the tail are missing. The owl is depicted with its wings gathered close to the body, gazing forward. The plumage is rendered with simple incisions although it is very probable that initially it bore painted decoration as well.

Καββαδίας, Π., «Τεύχος μηνός Ιουλίου», Αρχαιολογικόν Δελτίον Ε, 1889, σελ. 121
Casson, S., Brooke, D., Catalogue of the Acropolis Museum. Sculpture and Architectural Fragments, with a section upon the Terracottas, II, Cambridge, 1921, σελ. 252-253, αρ. κατ. 1347
Payne, H., Mackworth-Young, G., Archaic Marble Sculpture from the Acropolis, London, 1936, σελ. 73, εικ. 131
Langlotz, E., Schuchhardt, W., Schrader, H., Die archaischen Marmorbildwerke der Akropolis, Frankfurt am Main, 1939, σελ. 266, εικ. 301-302, αρ. κατ. 380
Τριάντη, Ι., Το Μουσείο Ακροπόλεως, Ο Κύκλος των Μουσείων, Αθήνα, 1998, σελ. 207, 212-213, εικ. 221-222
Παντερμαλής, Δ., Ελευθεράτου, Σ., Βλασσοπούλου, Χ., Μουσείο Ακρόπολης. Οδηγός, Αθήνα, 2016, σελ. 19, εικ. 7