What kind of sculpture is the statue of Zeus at Olympia?

Statue of Zeus at Olympia. The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was a giant seated figure, about 13 m (43 ft) tall, made by the Greek sculptor Phidias around 435 BC at the sanctuary of Olympia, Greece, and erected in the Temple of Zeus there. A chryselephantine sculpture of ivory plates and gold panels on a wooden framework,…

Who commissioned the Zeus statue at the Parthenon?

The statue of Zeus was commissioned by the Eleans, custodians of the Olympic Games, in the latter half of the fifth century BC for their recently constructed Temple of Zeus. Seeking to outdo their Athenian rivals, the Eleans employed the renowned sculptor Phidias, who had previously made the massive statue of Athena Parthenos in the Parthenon.

Who is the manufacturer of the Zeus statue?

The manufacturer, Phidias. Phidias was a Greek sculptor of the 5th century BC who is basically known for having built one of the wonders of the World, the statue of Zeus. His life is little known, history has not bequeathed enough materials to reconstitute it exactly.

What is the significance of the statue of Zeus?

Zeus was considered the king of the Greek gods and this magnificent statue was created to honor him. It was placed in the Temple at Olympia, a shrine to Zeus where Olympic Games took place every four years.

What happened to the Zeus statue in Rome?

The statue of Zeus stood in place for over 800 years, and was the biggest statue the ancient Greeks ever realized. What happened to it in its later days remains a mystery. In 391 AD, Rome’s new Christian emperor Theodosius I ordered the statue dismantled and stripped of its gold.

How tall is the statue of Zeus in Athens?

The statue measured over 13m (42 feet) high and 6m (21 feet) wide and had a perimeter of 13m (43 feet). The Greek geographer Strabo noted in the first century BC that if Zeus stood up, he would have put his head through the roof of the temple.