WISSENSSPEICHER

Museum für Abgüsse Klassischer Bildwerke

Penelope Reconstructed

19.09. - 01.12.06

On the Reconstruction of the Statue of Penelope and its Significance in Greek and Roman Culture

The statue of “Penelope Grieving” from the early 5th century B.C. is one of the most historico-culturally significant portrayals of a woman. Unfortunately, the Greek original has been lost. However, the motif has been recaptured by its seven replicas.

Before it was identified in 1823 as “Penelope Grieving”, the most important replica in the Vatican was converted into a muse in Rome in 1800 by the addition of an arbitrary antique head of a youth and the original material was also altered. After further replicas had been discovered, this type of statue and its interpretation was the focus of much interest by archaeologists.

Since the late 19th century, at least four reconstructed versions have been created with the aid of casts of the various replicas. However, the changes made to the Vatican replica always represented a considerable source of errors.