ZEUS
A.-C. Quatremère de Quincy, A -C. (1814), Le Jupiter Olympien, ou l'art de la sculpture antique [Frontispiece]. Paris
Phidias. (~435 BCE), Zeus at Olympia [Statue]. Temple of Zeus. Greece
Phoenix Kriese
Quatremère de Quincy’s illustration, Le Jupiter Opymien, was created to accompany an essay examining the toreutics of the ancient Greeks. This portrait now stands as the most recognizable image of Zeus’ effigy. Even then, in 1814, over two thousand years after the destruction of the Statue of Zeus, there was a fascination with it as an artifact. Humanity has always had an almost pathological obsession with physical items, to the point that several schools of religious ethics deemed idolatry a damning vice. But what makes physical artifacts so important? Why are they so necessary to preserve cultural history? And why does their destruction capture our imaginations? While artifacts crumble and fade with time, physical objects project intangible truths about the human condition across space and time. There are many contexts in the creation of any material item, from aesthetics to available resources and even to the innate desire to communicate.
The statue of Zeus, sculpted by Phidias, is the centrepiece of the temple of Zeus in Olympia and one wonder of the ancient world. This interpretation solidified the image of Zeus in the cultural imagination. However, the statue of Zeus is only one part of a much greater story. The temple of Zeus was not the first temple built in Olympia; instead, it was a joint temple honouring both Zeus and Hera, which was erected around 590 BCE. This temple was one of the oldest, if not the oldest, temples in Greece. This temple became a local staple. As travellers came to watch the Olympic games, they would often stop to visit the temple with tithings.
The games and the temple had a symbiotic relationship. But as interest in the games waned, so did interest in the temple. So, in approximately 470 BC, architect Libon of Elis was tasked with bringing a new temple to life. Thus, the temple of Zeus was constructed over a century later, and the original temple became a Heraion or the Temple of Hera. The temple of Zeus was not a particularly impressive building, especially in its earlier years. It was made out of Poros stone, which, although easy to work with, was not very attractive or opulent. Although it was adorned with the appropriate decor befitting a temple, still, it was far from special. Although the temple was beautiful in many respects, it struggled to communicate the awe in the face of a god. Arguably, this failure makes the temple even more spectacular because its flaws are a symptom of humanity and location. It is made out of Poros stone because it was a conventional building material for that particular moment in that particular region. It is wholly unique because of the limitations of what it was, where it was, when it was, and who was building it.
Further, the pursuit of beauty after the fact also communicates something integral about the aesthetic sensibilities of the then-Greeks. They cared about beauty because thirty-five years later, the Greek sculpture Phidias was commissioned by the city-state of Elis to build a sculpture of the King of the Gods himself, Zeus. This project would take nearly fifteen years to complete, but then his altar was complete. It stands about 13 meters tall, and because of this size, the base of the statue is a wooden frame. However, the statue of Zeus followed the tradition of chryselephantine. Chryselephantine is the term for when a sculpture is plated with gold and ivory. Consider the reality of a massive golden lightning god adorned with gems and glass. The worship began just by looking at him.
There is no accurate record of how long the Statue of Zeus was the center of his temple, but the temple was destroyed in 426 CE. The destruction of the statue was lost to time, but there are several prevalent theories. As political and religious values shifted, so did the connotation of the old gods and idolatry. The temple of Zeus was widely considered a cultist place of worship, which at the time of construction was a normative form of religious organization. Later, with the rise of Christianity in the Roman world, the pantheistic theism of old was relegated to blasphemy. This led to Emperor Theodosius I banning the practice of paganism; this prohibition extended to the closure of both the Olympic Games and The Temple of Zeus. This marked a shift in history that still holds significance today. The connotation of the Greco-roman pantheon has been relegated to demi-goods or even glorified wizards. In contrast, the Christian God is god— even the modern understanding of cults and how that casts a distinct bias while studying the ancient world. Greco-Roman cultural heritage is now viewed through the lens of the American-Christian monoculture. And yet art remains to be a symbol of beauty and human potential.
From there, the history gets muddied. Some allege after the temple’s closure, there was a riot which both destroyed the statue and jumpstarted the inevitable decay of the temple. Others allege it was dismantled and sent to Constantinople, now Istanbul, and then burned. Much of religious persecution starts with taking away symbols and places to be. Why is that? It’s because the power of an artifact or place is in its ability to communicate. If we are to glean anything from this story, history is fragile and easily lost. Meaning we need to appreciate the importance of artifacts while we have them because there is nothing saying they won’t be taken away. The loss of the Statue of Zeus at the hand of power is neither happy nor sad. But it does demonstrate what can happen to the things we as a culture value most.
Karina Yang
In the Greek mythology, Zeus emerges as the supreme ruler, the most powerful deity and the one who upholds rightness and ethical norms. The statue presents a lot of Zeus' attributes with great visual hints. This essay is expected to discuss these artworks’ historical background, how these artworks present Zeus, and how they contrast and compare with the myth of Zeus, offering information that is exhaustive for an individual to understand how this character has been treated and survived in Greek mythology.
"Le Jupiter Olympien vu doesanh của nhà thờ" was an iconic work that revealed Zeus while he was at ease and maintained the dignity of an authoritarian. The masterpiece was crafted during the early centuries when creative minds fashioned the conception to encapsulate the ideals that are associated with the classical antiquity and enlightenment. Similarly, "Zeus Triumphs over the Titans" and other works are additionally informative that Zeus has been a vessel of leadership and moral order through ages whose inheritance is clearly visible not only in the arts but in philosophical and religious thought.
"Zeus wins over the Titans" is about the victorious side of Zeus, whilst "Jupiter from his Throne as an Olympian" is about the mighty and supreme part of Zeus. In this duality of Zeus in the epic, there is an invitation to a reflection on the complicated interplay of the outlaw and ruler Zeus. While the poetic accounts such as 'Theogony' by Hesiod are, arguably, some of the best depicting details of Zeus's character, it is the artwork that best serves to interpret who he is and what his divine characteristics are, ultimately portraying the prime themes of Chapter 2: his role in creating order and his supreme power over other gods.
The "Jupiter Olympian Throne in his Throne" depiction remains undoubtedly awestruck over Zeus's rule, a manifestation that also works to complement the "The Conquest of the Titans by Zeus" which is action-centered. This painting with its focus on Zeus's regal mood, underscores not only the depth of his governance over the cosmos, through By causing meditation on what still matters in the Zeus's myth, the statues welcome the viewers to directly confront and appreciate the central ideas of command and justice ascribed to Zeus.
The portrayed "Zeus Triumph Over Titans" sculpture as a whole give an artistic narration of the Mesopotamian civilization that honors Zeus's intricate personality. These masterpieces not only express the themes of mythology but also develop our perception of Zeus and his role as an eternal symbol of decadent culture which subsequently influenced art and the entire society.
Works Cited
“Le Jupiter Olympien vu Dans Son Trône: Works of Art: Ra Collection: Royal Academy of Arts.” Works of Art | RA Collection | Royal Academy of Arts, www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-artists/work-of-art/le-jupiter-olympien-vu-dans-son-trone. Accessed 16 Feb. 2024.
“Titanomachy.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Feb. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanomachy.
“Zeus.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 13 Feb. 2024, www.britannica.com/topic/Zeus.
Cartwright, Mark. “Statue of Zeus at Olympia.” World History Encyclopedia, 24 July 2018, https://www.worldhistory.org/Statue_of_Zeus_at_Olympia/. Accessed 16 February 2024.
Chrysostome, Antoine -. “Le Jupiter Olympien vu dans son trône | Works of Art | RA Collection.” Royal Academy of Arts, https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-artists/work-of-art/le-jupiter-olympien-vu-dans-son-trone. Accessed 16 February 2024.
“Le Jupiter Olympien (1815).” History Archive, https://historyarchive.org/works/books/le-jupiter-olympien-1815. Accessed 16 February 2024.
Pausanias. Pausanias's Description Of Greece, Volume 3. Creative Media Partners, LLC, 2015.
Tikkanen, A. “Statue of Zeus | Ancient, Olympia, Temple.” Britannica, 28 December 2023, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Statue-of-Zeus. Accessed 16 February 2024.
Vanderpool, E. “Olympia - Ancient Ruins, Temples, Statues.” Britannica, 28 December 2023, https://www.britannica.com/place/Olympia-ancient-site-Greece/The-remains. Accessed 16 February 2024.