Ancient Georgian statue features at top international exhibition

A bronze statue discovered in western Georgia is among antique creations from across the world presented within one of the largest archaeological displays of the recent times in Washington.

History enthusiasts were invited to see the 2nd to 1st Centuries BC Torso of a Youth by visiting the Power and Pathos exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in the United States (US) capital.

Discovered in the town of Vani in 1988, the bronze statue was among 50 examples of Hellenic sculpting art on display at the Gallery in what was called "one of the best exhibitions of sculpture you may see " by The New York Times newspaper.

The exhibition opened on December 13 and included creations from museums in Europe, Africa and the US.

Researchers believed the Vani sculpture was originally made in the area - as opposed to having been imported from another location.

The Torso of a Youth statue was discovered in 1988 in western Georgia.

Their conclusion was formed as a result of the presence of a 3rd to 2nd Centuries BC casting pit outside the town.

Historians involved in studying the sculpture also considered the statue likely to have been created as a depiction of Apollo, an ancient Greek deity.

Before its display at the Washington venue Torso of a Youth was exhibited at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles and Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, Italy earlier this year.

The bronze sculpture's displays in the US were a result of the Georgian National Museum's collaboration with the Los Angeles venue.

The statue will return to the Vani Museum of Archaeology after the venue reopens following the conclusion of its ongoing renovation in 2016.

The exhibition at Washington's National Gallery of Art will run until March 20, 2016.

See the concept and additional details of the Washington exhibition here.