Artemision Zeus, detail of statue's left foot from front
Artemision Zeus, detail of statue's left arm from back
Artemision Zeus, detail of statue's right lower arm and hand from back
Artemision Zeus, detail of upper back from back right
Artemision Zeus, detail of statue's right leg from front
Artemision Zeus, detail of upper torso, from right
| Collection: | Athens, National Archaeological Museum |
| Title: | Artemision Zeus |
| Findspot: | Found at Cape Artemision Wreck |
| Summary: | Male Deity |
| Material: | Bronze |
| Sculpture Type: | Free-standing statue |
| Style: | Early Classical |
| Technique: | Hollow cast |
| Date: | ca. 460 BC - ca. 450 BC |
| Dimensions: | H 2.09 m |
| Scale: | Over life-size |
| Region: | Euboea |
| Period: | Early Classical |
Subject Description: Nude bearded man, standing with left foot forwards, arms outstretched horizontally, and head to the left, about to hurl an object (now lost) with his right hand. He is probably to be identified with Zeus hurling a thunderbolt (although the findspot, from a Hellenistic shipwreck, has also prompted an identification with Poseidon). His weight falls on his left, forward leg, but the figure is balanced and poised. His left arm is held straight before his body, fingers outstretched; his right is slightly bent to throw the thunderbolt. Both arms were deliberately elongated by the sculptor to equalize the horizontal and vertical axes of the composition, so his height is equal to the span of his arms.
Condition: Intact
Condition Description:
Complete except for object held in right hand.
Collection History:
Found on ocean floor by divers off Cape Artemision in northern Euboea. An arm was found in 1926 and the rest of the statue in 1928.
Sources Used: