Jupiter Applique Roman 1st-2nd century CE at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien in Vienna, Austria

Jupiter Applique Roman 1st-2nd century CE at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien in Vienna, Austria.
"The Zeus of the Greeks, whom Homer already describes as the "father of men and gods", was also the highest imperial god among the Romans as Jupiter Optimus Maximus (best and greatest). The mighty head of the god, who was always bearded in Greco-Roman antiquity, bears an oak wreath. The oak was sacred to Zeus, and the rustling of its leaves was used to prophesy in the oracle sanctuary of Dodona. The hair streaks up over the furrowed forehead in the manner of the portrait of Alexander the Great and frames the broad face with moving, softly modeled curls. A cloth is placed over the back of the head, which falls down on the left side of the body and lies on the right shoulder. The veiling of the head is sacral, but also a reference to the cosmic sphere of clouds and sky. The winged bolt of lightning on its right side should not only be understood as a weapon of God, but also as a symbol of fruitful thunderstorms. The bronze bust, which can be traced back to a Roman antique collection by a copper engraving by Pietro Santo Bartoli before 1700, was part of a device, as the horizontal cut on the back of the head, which served as a support, proves." - Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien


Image: Jupiter Applique Roman 1st-2nd century CE based on a Greek model of the last half of the 4th century BCE at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien in Vienna, Austria. Image courtesy of the museum.

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