The horse’s head is the only surviving part of the marble pediment titled “The Birth of Athena,” created by the ancient Greek sculptor Phidias. Phidias worked meticulously, capturing in stone the fundamental nature of mythological characters and their important role in shaping the worldview. In other words, he brought myths to life, personifying them by giving them concrete forms and features familiar to the human eye. For example, on the pediment of “The Birth of Athena,” he carved the sun god Helios from marble, emerging from the sea in a chariot drawn by horses.In the right corner of the pediment, another chariot was depicted. In it, its mistress—the moon goddess Selene—leaves the sky at sunrise, yielding her celestial domain to Helios until evening. It is the head of one of Selene’s horses that we see before us now.Thanks to the sculpture’s stunning realism, the horse before us seems almost alive—graceful, noble, and expressive. Though thin and weary, it is undeniably beautiful. Incidentally, the German poet Johann Goethe was convinced that this very sculpture was the most perfect depiction of a horse in existence.
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