The sculptor Pheidias created the Enthroned Zeus around 430 B.C. This magnificent statue stands at about forty feet tall. The Enthroned Zeus is a marble statue, glazed in gold and ivory to amplify the features of Zeus. Pheidias was also very intrigued by Zeus and characterized him through his sculpture as absolute king of the gods. The Enthroned Zeus was put in the temple of Zeus at Olympia. Zeus’s temple is considered to be one of the most, if not the most important religious sanctuary in the Greek world. This actually came to be considered one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. Zeus, as the king of the gods, sits on a large and elaborate throne with his feet on a footstool. His throne is very large with a high set back rest adding more size to the statue and to the image of Zeus as an all-powerful being. The cloak that Zeus wears drapes over him in a way that exposes his chest, showing of his mightiness, and aiming for the viewer to see the sculpture as an all-powerful force. Although his right hand is not attached we can assume that he was holding a scepter or a thunderbolt. At this time period this statue could have even been used as a statue in a private shrine of a wealthy Roman or Greek before traveling to Zeus’ temple. As the marine incrustations indicate, this statuette spent a long period of time submerged in the sea. When looking closely one notice the water marks all over the statue implicating that it must have been engulfed in the ocean for a long time period. But the left side of the sculpture is not marked which means it was probably buried in the sand and protected from the oceans currents.
The French oil painter Dreux Budé Master created ‘The Crucifixion” around 1490. His depiction of the crucifixion is ...
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...in its entirety depicts Achilles life and significant events. The life of Achilles was an extremely popular subject for Romans as well as the decor of Roman sarcophagi. On the top portion a man and a woman lie on an expensive couch. But oddly enough the heads of the figures were kept unfinished. This is actually a Roman technique in which they leave the faces unfinished to carve faces as portraits of the dead when the sarcophagus was actually purchased. But in the case of this one, no one came to buy it and the faces left untouched. It was a popular custom from about 150 to 250 A.D. For Greeks and romans to use a sarcophagus as means of a burial service. Sarcophagi were produced in large masses but only in a few centers, one of which being Athens. An Athenian sarcophagus was completely carved on all sides and sometimes it was surmounted with figures lying around.
A gift from William Randolph Hearst, the piece is a sarcophagus from the Severan period of the Roman empire near the end of the second century detailing a procession of Dionysos, the god of wine, and his followers. Such a procession could be from Dionysos's messianic journeys or from his triumphal return from spreading the wine cult. Originally in the mausoleum of a wealthy family in Rome, the sarcophagus was in later times used as a planter for a flower bed(Matz, 3). This "misuse" of the piece explains the deterioration of the marble which necessitated extensive restoration in the 17th century(4). It is tub shaped with dimensions of 2.1 meters long and 1 meter wide, standing 0.6 meters from the ground. The shape is similar to tubs used for trampling grapes which had spouts ornamented with lions' heads to vent the wine(3). Being shaped like a wine vat makes the sarcopagi a transformative force in its own right by symbolically turning the person interned within into wine ! bringing him closer to the god. Unlike other sarcophagi of the period the back of this piece has not been left unhewn, but instead a strigal pattern of repeating "S" shapes has been carved, suggesting that the piece may have stood in the center of the mausoleum.
Thetis gave birth to a son named Achilles, and in the sculpture, he is sitting on her lap. On the site, GreekMythology.com it states that, “Achilles was the hero that participated in the Trojan War who commanded 50 ships each holding 50 Myrmidons” (DevainArt). Before Achilles was born, according to a prophet, Thetis’s was to bore a son who was to be greater and overthrow his father. Therefore, after Prometheus warns the gods of the prophecy, Zeus and Poseidon who used to rival over Thetis withdrew from their desires. After finding out about this, the gods made Thetis marry a mortal man named
The Romans believed in the afterlife and most scenes, for those who could afford it, was a reflection of this type of belief system. Using the Endymion sarcophagus as an example, it was made during the Mid–Imperial period during the time of Severan Dynasty, and in the early 3rd century AD. The Endymion sarcophagus is created, in lenos form, out of marble and was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art through the Rogers fund 1947. Across the front of the Endymion sarcophagus we have the mythos of Endymion. Like the Badminton Sarcophagus, the facing scene depicts the conquering of death in the cycle of immortality and eternal sleep. In the middle of the sarcophagus we have Endymion, the most beautiful of men, being visited by a Selene who
By most accounts, the year 1500 was in the midst of the height of the Italian Renaissance. In that year, Flemmish artist Jean Hey, known as the “Master of Moulins,” painted “The Annunciation” to adorn a section of an alter piece for his royal French patrons. The painting tells the story of the angel Gabriel’s visit to the Virgin Mary to deliver the news that she will give birth to the son of God. As the story goes, Mary, an unwed woman, was initially terrified about the prospects of pregnancy, but eventually accepts her fate as God’s servant. “The Annunciation” is an oil painting on a modest canvas, three feet tall and half as wide. The setting of the painting is a study, Mary sitting at a desk in the bottom right hand corner reading, and the angel Gabriel behind her holding a golden scepter, perhaps floating and slightly off the canvas’s center to the left. Both figures are making distinct hand gestures, and a single white dove, in a glowing sphere of gold, floats directly above Mary’s head. The rest of the study is artistic but uncluttered: a tiled floor, a bed with red sheets, and Italian-style architecture. “The Annunciation” was painted at a momentous time, at what is now considered the end of the Early Renaissance (the majority of the 15th Century) and the beginning of the High Renaissance (roughly, 1495 – 1520). Because of its appropriate placement in the Renaissance’s timeline and its distinctly High Renaissance characteristics, Jean Hey’s “Annunciation” represents the culmination of the transition from the trial-and-error process of the Early Renaissance, to the technical perfection that embodied the High Renaissance. Specifically, “Annunciation” demonstrates technical advancements in the portrayal of the huma...
The Raising of the Cross is one in a series of paintings based on the crucifixion of Christ by Peter Paul Rubens. This piece was painted between 1609 and 1610 with oil on canvas in life size with the centerpiece of the triptych measuring 15’2” by 11’2”. It is now displayed in the Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp, Belgium (Dunton, 164). Peter Paul Rubens was a Flemish artist that painted in Baroque style, his paintings were mostly of religious and mythical origin and his skill in such has been highly regarded in his lifetime and since. (www.peterpaulrubens.com) Born June 28, 1577, Rubens development as a painter, apparently, started early. After his father’s death and his family moving to Antwerp he decided he wished to be a painter and “In 1598, at the age of 21, he was accorded the rank of master painter of the Antwerp Guild of St. Luke” (CSU Eastbay article).
As I walked into the first gallery, I saw a wood sculpture that stood in the center of the room. This carving depicted “the crucified Christ, flanked by the Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist with Angels holding instruments of the Passion”. It was painted oak and very appealing to the eye. It stood approximately 15 feet in the air. The origin of this sculpture is unknown, but it was found in a Belgium church. This kind of sculpture usually stood at the entrance or at the center of the alter in the church facing the congregation. This image of the suffering Christ relates to the Christian ideas of suffering and Christ’s salvation of all mankind.
The Romans were a very proud group of people but always made sure to keep their pride under control, even in death. The Roman Sarcophagus (coffin) from the RISD Museum in Providence, Rhode Island is the coffin of an unknown individual. It is from the Second Century CE, and is made of marble. It may not be known exactly who created this but it contains scenes from the Trojan War which is assumed to have taken place sometime around the 12th century. When RISD initially received this coffin it had been reassembled after it had been found in Rome in as many as one hundred pieces, and so some of the aspects of this piece are not original but have been restored as close as possible to the original. The front of the coffin shows a famous scene from the war where Achilles drags Prince Hector’s body around Troy after defeating him. The right side shows two young males, one receiving a lyre while the other watches, and the back shows a hunting scene where 3 cupids are shown taking a down a lion and lioness with the help of dogs, and lastly the left side shows
This is a copy of the sculpture of Athena Parthenos, dressed in battle attire, that was originally created by Phidias during the period of 447-39 B.C. The statue of Athena Parthenos was to be constructed, not of bronze, but of gold and ivory. The face, arms, and feet of the statue were to be made of ivory and the clothing, of thickly plated gold. The statue was an enormous size that towered thirty-three feet tall. The costly nature of the materials out of which it was designed was intended to overwhelm the viewer, creating a sense of religious awe.
A long time ago, there were two gods named Zeus and Poseidon. They were both very powerful. Zeus was the god of the sky, Poseidon was the god of the sea. One day they got into an argument about who is more powerful. So they decided to go to space and settle the argument by playing a game of pool with the planets to see who is more powerful.
The Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus is a marble sculpture created for the burial of Junius Bassus, which had occurred in ca. 359, during the Early Christian period. This sculpture is iconic for its time, for it has both the styles of the Christian and the Roman.
Sculpture is one of the most important parts of Greek art since it is almost the only art form that has survived in some quantity. The ancient Greeks were especially known for their sculpture because their sculptures were extremely life like and beautiful. It was important to the ancient Greeks to combine passion and reason in their sculpture. Greek sculptures were mostly of the human form since they looked at their gods as having a human form. All of the sculptures were nudes of males because society looked down upon female nudity until latter on in time when you started to see sculptures such as the Venus di Milo, which was modeled after Aphrodite (Wikpedia the free encyclopedia. Wikpedia.11 Nov 2004. 12 Nov 2004 http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Greek_art ). One of the most amazing sculptures is the colossus sculpture of Zeus in Olympia it was one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. Ancient writers said that it stood 12.40 meters high, 6.65 meters long and 9.76 meters deep the body of Zeus was made of ivory followed by a robe made of gold topped with a silver olive wreath and his throne was decorated with mythological scenes painted by Panainos and Kolotis the statue itself was created by Phidos. Michael Lahanas. 25 Dec 2002. 11 Nov 2004 (http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Arts/ZeusStatue.htm). Another great sculpture is the colossus Athena Parthenos. This sculpture just like the colossus statue of Zeus was made of gold and ivory and had various mythological engravings in her shield, helmet and pedestal.
Sculptures of heroes and emperors was a common way of displaying greatness in the society of ancient Rome. Throughout history there are several sculptures of emperors and heroes dresses in royal clothing or posing in a powerful stance. People looked up to emperors and heroes for their strength, bravery, and ability to lead which is why many sculptures were created to honor them. The Roman hero Hercules is one in which appears often in art history. The Marble statue of a youthful Hercules embodies to ideal image of power, and strength of Roman heroes that continues to stay the same.
statue was found in the Hera's Temple. Contained in the Temple of Zeus was one
He discusses that Roman statues appear greatly similar to those of Ancient Greece, both in material and in style. The statues both from Greece and Roman Republic were made from slabs of marble and bronze. In both cultures, portraits were used as expressions of honor to both the living and the dead. They were often used in funerary spaces and sanctuaries. Stewart supports the same principle that the other critics have stated, that portraits and statues were used primarily by the wealthy and elite members of the republic. They decorated the public spaces of the people, as a reminder of leadership within the community and as a way to honor the authority’s power. Imperial portraits were used as a symbol of devotion and established the presence of a powerful empire, bringing the devotion towards the emperor
http://www.pentheon.com/articles/z/zeus.html 2 page, accessed April 7, 2004. Created on March 3 1997, Modified March 19. 12, 2004. Encyclopedia Mythica 1995-2004