Fragment from a Triton's tail. The Triton is thought to have functioned as a support for one of Poseidon's chariot horses. A similar Triton (Ακρ. 879) was also placed beneath Athena's (Ακρ. 882) on the left flank of the pediment. These sea creatures may have been an evocation to the flood provoked by Poseidon after he was defeated by Athena.

The fragment was found on the Acropolis. It had most possibly fallen off from the pediment in 1687 during the bombardment of the Parthenon by the Venetians under the command of general Francesco Morosini. This is the reason why it was not taken by Thomas Bruce, lord of Elgin, who was in Greece between 1801-1804 when the country was under Ottoman rule, and forcibly detached most of the sculptures of the pediment still in their original position.

The west pediment of the Parthenon portrays the dispute between Athena and Poseidon regarding who would become the divine protector of Athens. The contest was held on the Acropolis in the presence of the city’s mythical kings Kekrops and Erechtheus and other local heroes, who as judges decided the outcome in favour of Athena, preferring her gift, the olive tree, to the salty water offered by Poseidon. The centre of the scene is occupied by the two protagonists and their chariots whereas the pediments' corners contain the personifications of two rivers that flowed in ancient Athens, Ilissos and Kephissos. Due to the misadventures suffered by the monument over the following centuries many sculptures have been lost, some survive in mutilated form whereas others are represented only in small fragments.

The two Parthenon pediments are adorned with about fifty oversized statues. The sculptures, perfectly worked even on their unseen, rear sides, present scenes from the myths of the goddess Athena.