Minerva

Italian, ca. 1853
Original location: On the parapet of the house
Location of original statue: storage

While the theme of Minerva, goddess of war and wisdom was a common theme in classical art the inspiration for this particular statue is unknown. Fragments of the Belmont statue was found in the fill ruble under Freeman Hall [North Front] at the beginning of renovations in 1984. The head and the extended or right arm were not found. This recreation is based on other surviving statues of Minerva. It is unclear if the original statue contained a scroll in the extended hand as the goddess of wisdom or a spear as the goddess of war.

It is known from descriptions that Minerva was originally located on the parapet of the house. The placing of urns or statuary on parapets of houses was an element of Palladian architecture. Belmont was conceived as an Italian villa in the style of the sixteenth century architect Andre Palladio.