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Cook, Arthur B.
Zeus: a study in ancient religion (Band 1): Zeus god of the bright sky — Cambridge, 1914

DOI Seite / Zitierlink: 
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14695#0099

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42

The Blue Globe

This occurs in a painting from the Casa dei Dioscuri (pi. vi)1.
Against a red ground we see Zeus seated on a throne, which is
draped in shimmering blue. Its arm-rests, of which one is visible,
are supported by carved eagles. A violet-blue mantle with gold-
embroidered border covers the lower part of his figure. The right
hand resting on his knee holds a thunderbolt; the left is raised
and leans on a sceptre banded with gold. Before him is his eagle
looking up to him in an attitude of attention. Behind hovers
Nike in a light violet chiton, with a green veil over her left arm,
placing a golden bay-wreath on the head of the god. Beside him
is a blue globe on a square base.

An engraved chalcedony of imperial date, now in the Berlin
collection (fig. 12)2, repeats the motif with slight
variations. The right foot, not the left, is advanced,
and the globe is omitted, perhaps to leave room
for the inscription.

With regard to this interesting composition
two questions may be mooted. What were its
antecedents? And what were its consequents?

The facing type is certainly suggestive of a
cult-statue ; and we observe, to begin with, that
our figure bears a more than superficial resemblance to the Iupiter
Capitolinus of Apollonios, a chryselephantine copy of Pheidias' Zeus
made for the temple dedicated by Q. Lutatius Catulus in 69 B.C.3
The main features of Apollonios' Iupiter were recovered by
A. Michaelis from a torso at Naples and from sundry early drawings
by Heemskerck, Giuliano da Sangallo, and dal Pozzo4. The right
hand probably held a sceptre, but not high enough for the upper
arm to assume a horizontal position. The left hand was lowered
and probably grasped a thunderbolt. The right foot was thrust
forward till it projected horizontally beyond the footstool of the

1 Helbig Wandgem. Camp. p. 31 no. 102, Guida del Mus. Napoli p. 346 no. 1461,
W. Zahn Die schbnsten Ornamente etc. iii pi. 14 (coloured, but including Zahn's
restoration of the head and wings of Nike), V. Duruy History of Rome English ed.
London 1884 ii pi. 10 (coloured). Uncoloured drawings in the Real Museo Borbonico
Napoli 1835 xi pi. 39, E. Braun Vorschule der Kunstmythologie Gotha 1854 pi. 14,
Overbeck Gr. Kunstmyth. Zeus Atlas pi. 1, 40 (after Braun).

My pi. vi is a reduced copy of Zahn's colour-plate with a fresh restoration of Nike's
head and wings.

2 Furtwangler Geschnitt. Steine Berlin p. 108 f. no. 2306 pi. 21, Midler-Wieseler-
Wernicke Ant. Denkm. i. 49 pi. 4, 12.

3 H. Jordan Topographie der Stadt Rom im Alterthttm Berlin 1885 i. 2. 25 n. 24,
O. Richter Topographie der Stadt Rom2 Miinchen 1901 p. 125, Pauly-Wissowa Real-Enc.
iii. 1534, Overbeck Gr. Ktmstmyth. Zeus p. 61 f., id. Gr. Plastik* ii. 431.

4 A. Michaelis in the Jahrb. d. kais. deutsch. arch. Inst. 1898 xiii. 192 ff.
 
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