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Poseidon or Zeus
Standing with the weight on the left leg and the right foot to the rear, with the right arm raised and the left lowered. There is a rather long beard, and the long hair on the forehead and at the back of the neck is divided into locks. The modeling of the face and hair is summary. The authenticity of this piece has been questioned.
This statuette probably represents Poseidon because very frequently Poseidon has the right hand raised to hurl the trident and the lowered left hand holding a dolphin; while Zeus raises his left to grasp a scepter and lowers his right to hold a thunderbolt, which, except in early times, he is not hurling. This rule, however, is not binding.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Don Marcello Massarenti Collection, Rome [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1902, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 6/7/1957 | Treatment | cleaned |
| 12/16/1977 | Examination | x-ray fluorescence |
Measurements
H: 8 9/16 in. (21.8 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters with the Massarenti Collection, 1902
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
54.977