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  Magna Graecia: Greek Art From South Italy and Sicily > About the Exhibition > Paestum > Enthroned Zeus (about 530-520 BC)
 
 
Enthroned Zeus (about 530-520 BC)
Paestum, southern urban sanctuary
Terracotta, painted
Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Paestum, inv. 133149
[Cat. no. 4]

Enthroned Zeus (about 530-520 BC)

Likely a cult image of one of the most powerful gods in Greek mythology, this statue of Zeus originally must have resided in a shrine in Paestum's sacred area, where it was discovered.

The extremely well-preserved painted surface of the sculpture suggests how colorful Greek temples and sanctuaries were in antiquity, filled with similar polychrome images and decoration. Despite being reconstructed and restored from fragments, it is one of the most significant examples of terracotta sculpture produced in Magna Graecia.

Close stylistic similarities between this statue and large-scale terracotta sculpture produced by the Etruscans point to the strong cultural contact and exchanges between the Greek colonists and the native Etruscans in South Italy during this time.


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