ZeusANCIENT_Phidias

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Pausanias 5.11.1-10

Phidias' Olympian Zeus depicted on an ancient gold stater minted at Elis.

The people of Elis (Ἐλειῶν), which later minted this coin, commissioned Phidias to create the greatest sculpture of Zeus offering victory in his right hand.

Ingres' paintings "Jupiter and Thetis" (1811) and "Portrait of Napoleon I on his Imperial Throne" (1806) as well as Horatio Greenough's 1832 sculpture likening George Washington to the "king of gods and men", as well as many other familiar artworks, are based upon the Phidian Zeus.

A black and white illustration of an ancient coin depicting a bearded man enthroned, holding a staff and a small winged figure

The city of Elis, in the western Peloponnesus, minted this coin to show off their support fo the Zeus sactuary at Olympia.

Phidias (the famous Athenian sculptor, ca. 465-425 BC) crafted the 42-foot-high chryselephantine (gold and ivory) sculpture of the seated Zeus for the Zeus Temple at Olympia.

The cult statue has long since disappeared, likely dismanted for its precious materials; however, ancient descriptions and numerous depictions inform us of its appearance.

For this work and for his Athena Parthenos, Phidias was regarded as the greatest artist of his day. (Quintilian 12.10.90). The links above direct you to texts by Pausanias also.

OGCMA slides are designed by Roger T. Macfarlane for use in Classical Civilization 241 courses at Brigham Young University.
The present resource contains information assembled for The Oxford Guide to Classical Mythology in the Arts, 1400 – 1990’s, edited by J. Davidson Reid (Oxford 1994), and it is used with express permission from Oxford University Press.
Address concerns or inquiries to macfarlane@byu.edu.