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| Enthroned Zeus (about 530-520 BC) Paestum, southern urban sanctuary Terracotta, painted Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Paestum, inv. 133149 [Cat. no. 4] |
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Enthroned Zeus (about 530-520 BC)
Cult statues from the Greek mainland, likenesses of deities which were objects of devotion and veneration, were often made of costly marble imported from island quarries throughout the Aegean. Other materials used for cult statues included chryselephantine (ivory and gold). Whatever materials were used to create a cult statue, the costlier materials imparted an extraordinary quality to statues.There were, however, exceptions. The most venerated statue of Athena from the Acropolis in Athens was no more than an old wooden log that was said to have fallen from the heavens.
Marble was not abundant in Magna Graecia, and therefore, terracotta was widely used in the production of sculpture. Although a long lasting material not prone to decay, terracotta's longevity is no match to that of marble. It breaks and it breaks easily. That is why this cult statue of Zeus from a shrine in Paestum is so exceptional. Although heavily restored, it retains much of its original paint imparting to it a lifelike quality.
Enthroned, the god wears a yellow tunic known as a chiton (ky-ton) with a read overcloak known as a himation (hy-may-shun). His heavy, braided hair and pointed beard and moustache are rendered in a dark blue/black paint and contrast with his ruddy complexion. He wears a slight grin on his face, known as an "archaic smile." This grinning expression may have served to give the face an animated quality when viewed from below by those who came to venerate it. Indeed, when viewed from a sharp, low angle, the smile seemed less marked.
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