Enthroned Zeus Research Paper

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The sculptor Pheidias created the Enthroned Zeus around 430 B.C. This magnificent statue stands at about forty feet tall. The Enthroned Zeus is a marble statue, glazed in gold and ivory to amplify the features of Zeus. Pheidias was also very intrigued by Zeus and characterized him through his sculpture as absolute king of the gods. The Enthroned Zeus was put in the temple of Zeus at Olympia. Zeus’s temple is considered to be one of the most, if not the most important religious sanctuary in the Greek world. This actually came to be considered one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. Zeus, as the king of the gods, sits on a large and elaborate throne with his feet on a footstool. His throne is very large with a high set back rest adding more size to the statue and to the image of Zeus as an all-powerful being. The cloak that Zeus wears drapes over him in a way that exposes his chest, showing of his mightiness, and aiming for the viewer to see the sculpture as an all-powerful force. Although his right hand is not attached we can assume that he was holding a scepter or a thunderbolt. At this time period this statue could have even been used as a statue in a private shrine of a wealthy Roman or Greek before traveling to Zeus’ temple. As the marine incrustations indicate, this statuette spent a long period of time submerged in the sea. When looking closely one notice the water marks all over the statue implicating that it must have been engulfed in the ocean for a long time period. But the left side of the sculpture is not marked which means it was probably buried in the sand and protected from the oceans currents.
The French oil painter Dreux Budé Master created ‘The Crucifixion” around 1490. His depiction of the crucifixion is ...

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...in its entirety depicts Achilles life and significant events. The life of Achilles was an extremely popular subject for Romans as well as the decor of Roman sarcophagi. On the top portion a man and a woman lie on an expensive couch. But oddly enough the heads of the figures were kept unfinished. This is actually a Roman technique in which they leave the faces unfinished to carve faces as portraits of the dead when the sarcophagus was actually purchased. But in the case of this one, no one came to buy it and the faces left untouched. It was a popular custom from about 150 to 250 A.D. For Greeks and romans to use a sarcophagus as means of a burial service. Sarcophagi were produced in large masses but only in a few centers, one of which being Athens. An Athenian sarcophagus was completely carved on all sides and sometimes it was surmounted with figures lying around.

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