Sculptpedia Statues, Busts and Sculptures Park sculptures and installations Ancient World & Antiquity Middle Ages & Renaissance Marble & Other Stones Bronze & Other Metals

Zeus of Otricoli

Zeus of Otricoli is an ancient Roman marble bust from the first half of the 1st century BC. It was discovered at Otricoli, the ancient Ocriculum, during excavations carried out in 1781–1782 under Pope Pius VI by Giuseppe Pannini and Vincenzo Cecchi. Measuring 58 cm in height, the bust was part of a larger statue and is regarded as one of the most famous depictions of Jupiter as well as the most faithful Roman reproduction of Phidias’ Zeus from Olympia. The sculpture is displayed in the Oval Hall of the Vatican Museums in Rome, in the Museo Pio-Clementino.

Zeus of Otricoli marble bust with curly hair and a beard on an inscribed pedestal.
The Zeus of Otricoli shown as a white marble bust with curly hair, a beard, and drapery over one shoulder.
August 2015 © · CC BY-SA 2.0
Zeus of Otricoli marble bust of a bearded man with long curly hair and draped shoulders on a carved pedestal
The Zeus of Otricoli, shown as a marble bust with a bearded face, long curly hair, and draped shoulders.
October 2018 © · CC BY 4.0
Zeus of Otricoli marble bust with a curly beard and draped shoulder, shown before fluted columns.
The Zeus of Otricoli, shown here as a marble bust with a flowing beard and draped shoulder.
© Unknown artistUnknown artist · Public domain
Marble bust of Zeus of Otricoli with a bearded face and curly hair, displayed on a pedestal in a museum gallery.
Zeus of Otricoli marble bust displayed in a museum gallery.
April 2017 © · CC BY-SA 2.0
White marble bust of Zeus of Otricoli with a curly beard and voluminous hair.
A close-up of the Zeus of Otricoli marble bust, showing its beard, hair, and weathered surface.
May 2019 © · CC BY-SA 4.0

Identification

TitleZeus of Otricoli
Alternative namesJupiter of Otricoli; Zeus from Otricoli
Original language titleZeus z Otricoli; Зевс Отриколийский
TypeAncient Roman marble bust
SubjectJupiter (Zeus)

Historical context

Comparative evidenceIt is noted as different from Capitoline Jupiter, the lost Zeus Olympios of Phidias, and an ancient statue of Zeus in the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg
Historical interpretationThe bust and the related Hermitage Jupiter were historically claimed to be late copies of Phidias's Zeus Olympios
Related ancient prototypeThe bust has been connected with the statue of Jupiter in the Capitoline Temple in Rome
Possible later sourceSome scholars think the Hermitage Jupiter may derive from the statue of Jupiter from the Roman Temple of Jupiter the Protector, founded by Emperor Domitian
Date1st century BC, probably made in the first half of the 1st century BC
Cultural originRoman
Original modelProbably a Roman copy of a Hellenistic original, possibly a modification by Lysippos from the era of Alexander the Great

Creator

AttributionSome scholars have attributed it to a copy of Phidias's Zeus at Olympia, but this is disputed; numismatic reproductions and ancient descriptions suggest a different and later model

Discovery and provenance

Discovery locationOtricoli, ancient Ocriculum, Umbria, Italy
Discovery date1775
Discovery contextFound during excavations financed or ordered by Pope Pius VI
ExcavatorsGiuseppe Pannini and Vincenzo Cecchi

Physical characteristics

Function in antiquityPart of a large statue
Stylistic featuresRetains Pheidian influence, including a half-open mouth, but the face is broader and more deeply modeled
Height58 cm

Materials

MaterialWhite Carrara marble

Iconography and meaning

Iconographic interpretationRepresents Zeus/Jupiter as a paternalistic god

Location and ownership

Current locationVatican Museums, Rome
Current display locationSala Rotonda / Round Room, Pio-Clementino Museum

Significance

Artistic significanceConsidered by some the most faithful Roman reproduction of Zeus from Olympia by Phidias
NotabilityOne of the most famous representations of Jupiter

History and restoration

Copy for GoetheIn 1786 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe had a faithful plaster copy made for himself during his journey to Italy
Later artistic influenceUsed as a model for the Figure of God the Father on the facade of a now-lost Warsaw church of the Brigittines, and reproduced by the Baroque sculptor Stephan Schwaner
Current location of derivative workThe Figure of God the Father is now in Falenty, Poland
Other copiesA copy exists in the Stroganov Palace in Saint Petersburg; casts are also held by Cornell University, Bowdoin College Art Museum, and at the Boston Athenæum
Related ancient sanctuaryOcriculum had a temple dedicated to Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva