What is the Statue of Jupiter at the State Hermitage Museum?

The Statue of Jupiter is a colossal Roman sculpture created by an unknown master at the end of the 1st century AD. It depicts the supreme god Jupiter and is one of the most famous exhibits housed in the Hermitage Museum. The sculpture's prototype was Phidias's legendary ancient Greek statue of Zeus at Olympia, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Found at the Villa of Domitian, the sculpture entered the collection of Marquis Giampietro Campana before being acquired by Emperor Alexander II in 1861.

What we know

• The Statue of Jupiter is a colossal Roman statue created at the end of the 1st century AD by an unknown Roman master. [1, 2]
• The sculpture is modeled after the legendary 5th-century BC statue of Zeus at Olympia created by Phidias. [2, 4]
• The statue was discovered in the late 19th century at the Villa of Domitian. [2]
• After being part of the collection of Marquis Giampietro Campana, the sculpture was purchased by Emperor Alexander II and brought to the Hermitage in 1861. [2]

Where to go next

• whoWho was Phidias and what did he sculpt?
• whereWhat was the Villa of Domitian?
• what caused itHow did Marquis Campana's collection reach Russia?
• the bigger pictureWhat else can be seen in the State Hermitage Museum?
• compared withHow does the statue compare to the original Zeus at Olympia?
• an unexpected connectionHow does a Roman god connect to a collection ruined by a marquis?The colossal Roman sculpture of Jupiter ended up in Russia only because the financial ruin of Marquis Giampietro Campana forced the sale of his vast antiquities collection to Emperor Alexander II.

Sources

• [1]Statue of Jupiter (Wikidata Q50315664) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Statue of Jupiter (Hermitage) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Hermitage Museum · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Statue of Zeus at Olympia · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]White Hall of the Winter Palace · CC BY-SA 4.0