Intaglio Gem Depicting an Enthroned Zeus

CultureRoman

PeriodImperial

Date2nd Century CE

MediumMicrocrystalline quartz, var. blue chalcedony

Credit LineGift of the Estate of Michael J. Shubin

Dimensions9/16 x 3/8 x 1/8 in. (1.4 x 1 x 0.3 cm)

Object number2008.031.303

Label TextThe motif replicates the iconography of the famous chryselephantine statue of Zeus created by the fifth-century BCE sculptor Phidias for the god’s temple at Olympia in Greece. Built on colossal scale, this Phidian Zeus was so large it threatened to lift the roof from the temple if it ever stood up (Strabo Geography 8.3.30) and could only be glimpsed partially and occasionally through the temple doors. The gem therefore offers improved access, allowing the viewer to commune with the god in his entirety, up close and at any time. Even better, the selection of a translucent blue chalcedony simulates the god’s live presence, evoking the shimmering blue sheen attributed to Zeus’ skin and hair by various ancient authors, a luster that signalled the god’s divinity and connected him to the sky, his primary realm of authority. The flash of reflected light on the surface of the gem may even have suggested movement or a strike of Zeus’ lightning.
Exhibition HistoryMaking an Impression: The Art and Craft of Ancient Engraved Gemstones, Michael C. Carlos Museum, August 27 - November 27, 2022

ProvenanceEx coll. Michael Shubin (1950-2008), Montebello, California, purchased from Pars Coins, San Jose, California, September 15, 2006.

Status

Not on view

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