The statue of Zeus, considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was created in the second half of the fifth century BC. It was built to be put into the Temple dedicated to Zeus. Phidias was the artist who created this sculpture masterpiece. They actually picked this sculptor because they made the statue of Athena Parthenos which were the rivals so they wanted to make sure they could have a bigger and better statue. It took Phidias twelve years to complete this statue of Zeus and ended up being his best work yet. Located in the western portion of the Temple, the statue was approximately 43 feet tall and 22 feet wide. The statue was located in the Cella room, which was the most inner room of the Temple dedicated to Zeus. Since the statue was so tall, it came very close to the ceiling of the temple. …show more content…
His torso and up was uncovered showing his masculinity and toned muscles. After all, Zeus was a Greek God so he needed to look mighty and powerful, so the his dimensions are not necessarily proportional. The pectoral muscles, both biceps, and abdomen appeared to be flexed even though he was completely relaxed and seated on a throne. The skin of the statue was made of ivory, but the beard, hair and robe were made from gold. In both hands of the statue, Zeus is holding something. In his left hand he held a scepter with an eagle on top of it and in his right hand he was holding a small sculpture of the goddess Nike, who was the goddess of victory and was Zeus’ friend. His right arm rested on the arm of the chair while his left arm was close to a 90-degree angle faced upwards. Zeus was only covered with a robe or cloth around his legs. It appeared to have a floral pattern on it and cut off at the ankles of the statue. His feet laid on a foot rest that is propped up with laying lions. The whole stage, and the throne itself, was elevated by a platform decorated with gold