Bronze statuette of Zeus or Poseidon

Greek

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 156

This mature bearded figure must represent either Zeus, the god of the sky and ruler of the Olympian deities, or his brother Poseidon, who controlled the seas. The identity would have been clear from the attribute that was originally held in the right hand. Zeus's weapon was the thunderbolt, and a sanctuary to him was established wherever lightening struck. Poseidon wielded a trident, the three-pronged spear that fishermen used to catch huge tuna.

Bronze statuette of Zeus or Poseidon, Bronze, Greek

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.