Athena with cross-strapped aegis

The Athena with cross-strapped aegis is an ancient statue of the Greek goddess Athena, which was made around AD 150 and is now displayed in the Antikensammlung Berlin (Inventory number AvP VII 22).
The statue was found in 1880 during Carl Humann's excavations of Pergamon in the space to the west of the north stoa of the sanctuary of Athena, near the Lady of Pergamon. This area may have been the art collection ("museion") of the Attalid kings. When the statue was found, there were still traces of paint on it: the aegis had parts in light and dark blue, the snakes were red, and there were other bits of colour on the hem. These traces of colour can no longer be perceived, except for a painted band on the soles of her shoes. The statue is largely intact, except for the right arm and one fold of her drapery. The left arm has been reconstructed from a number of fragments. The head was only found several months after the body and was more heavily corroded than the rest of the statue. It was made separately and inserted into the main statue. The head was looted by the Russians and is now lost; a plaster cast sits in its place.
Athena wears a girdled Doric peplos, which leaves her arms free and falls to her hips. Especially on the right hand side, it is characterised by elegant flowing folds. The unusual, cross-strapped form of the aegis is the source of the statue's common name. It is formed of two separate strips which run under the arms and cross in front of the bosom and in the same space at the back. These strips are probably meant to imitate the design of furs. On the lower edge of the strips of the aegis there are small curves, from which small serpents emerge. These are partially carved in free relief, and are shown winding around themselves, tying themselves into knots, and striking out. Where the aegis crosses, there is a Gorgoneion, which turns away evil, depicted as a brooch. Her hair falls in gentle locks. It is tied back from the face and held in a bun at the back of the head. From the surviving top portion of the missing right arm, it is clear that it must have been bent. Since the head is also turned slightly to the right and downwards, it has been suggested that the goddess held a small Nike or a lance in her hand. Her left hand might have held a lance or perhaps a helmet (vehemently denied by many archaeologists).
The statue follows classical models of around 430/20 BC, but it was actually made in the Hellenistic period, around 150 BC, and lacks the self-centred harmony and calm of its models. The posture of the head and right arm in connection with the placement of the weight-bearing right leg further to the rear suggest a jerky movement. The left leg is bent, with the knee extending further forward. The way her clothing sits also suggests a tense restlessness. In composition and execution, the statue blends the classical model with the new ideas of the Hellenistic age. Aspects of her clothing seem to derive from the Great frieze of the Pergamon altar. There is also a connection to the Statue of Athena, which Myron made on Samos and which many archaeologists have wished to see this as a copy of.