This statue was discovered on the west coast of Greece at
Olympia. In the antiquity, this city was a place of sect which holed many treasures
of the Greek art: temples, monuments, altars, theaters, statues and marble or
bronze votive providing. It was register with golden and ivory, measured 12 m
(39 feet) height and was placed on a foot
of 2 m (7 feet). The root of the statue was 6 m (21 feet) wide and 1 m
height. The statue's perimeter was 13 m (43 feet). This work joint nearly the maximum
of the temple. On the other hand, the rule was design with precious stones,
ivory, ebony and gold.
Zeus, in sit location, holds, in its right hand, the goddess
of Victory, Nike, and, in the left hand, a scepter overcome by an eagle. The rule
was decorated with comfort sculptured mythological scenes; specially induce the
murder of the sons of Niobe, the queen of Thebes.
The Temple at Olympia
The site consisted of a stadium - where the rivalry were truly
done - and a blessed grove, or Altis, where a number of temples were discovered.
The shrine to Zeus here was easy in the accent years, but as time went by and
the games increased in importance, it became clear that a new, larger temple,
one worthy of the King of the gods, was wanted. Between 470 and 460 B.C., construction
on a new temple was beginning. The designer was Libon of Elis and his
masterpiece, The Temple of Zeus, was finished in 456 B.C.
Seven rapid truths:
Discovered: Peloponnesus (made in Greece)
Built: throughout 432BC
Destroyed: fire 5th century AD
Size: height around 40th ft (12cm)
Made of: ivory and gold plated on wooden frame
Other: remain of the workshop where it was build was found
during an excavation in 1950s
A Statue Worthy of the King of the Gods
The sculptor chosen for this considerable responsibility was
a man named Phidias. He had already provided a forty-foot high statue of the
goddess Athena for the Parthenon in Athens and had also done much of the
sculpture on the exterior of that temple. After his work in Athens was done, Phidias
traveled to Olympia throughout 432 B.C. to begin on what was to be considered
his best work, the statue of Zeus. On appearing he set up a workshop to the
west of the temple. He would take the next 12 years to absolute the project.
According to accounts, the statue when complete was discovered
at the western end of the temple. It was 22 feet wide and more than 40 feet
tall. The statistic of Zeus was seated on elaborate rules. His head nearly
grazed the roof. The historian Strabo wrote, "...while the temple itself
is very big, the sculptor is criticized for not having value the correct
quantity. He has depicted Zeus seated, but with the head almost meeting the
maximum, so that we have the presentiment that if Zeus moved to stand up he
would unroof the temple..."
Others who observed that temple disagreed with Strabo and
found the portions very powerful in transport the god's size and power. By
filling nearly all the obtainable space, the statue was made to seem even
larger than it actually was.
Philo of Byzantium, who wrote about all of the wonders, was surely
impressed. "Whereas we just fascination at the other six wonders, we kneel
in front of this one in admiration, because the implementation of the expertise
is as unbelievable as the image of Zeus is scared…"
In 97 A.D. another visitor Dio Chrysostom’s declared the
image was so powerful that, "If a man, with a heavy heart from grief and
sorrow in life, will stand in front of the statue, he will disremember all
these."
In his right hand the statues hold the figure of Nike (the
goddess of victory) and in its left was a scepter "inset with every kind
of metal..." which was topped with an eagle. Maybe even more presentiment
than the statue it was the rule made out of gold, ebony, and ivory and inset with
precious stones. Sculpt into the chair were figures of Greek gods and mystical
animals, containing the half man/half lion sphinx.
