Art

Enthroned Zeus (Getty Villa Museum)
The marble statue, Enthroned Zeus is one of the more popular Roman work of art currently on view at the Getty Villa Malibu of Getty Villa Museum.  

According to the Getty Villa Museum website, the statue was believed to have been made by an anonymous sculptor or school of sculptors based on a same model that was displayed in the city of Pergamon in the 100s B.C.  

Dating back to about 100 A.D., its Roman creator was so inspired by early Greek masterpieces that his work emphasized styles particularly in the face and hair that were of common use during the golden age of Greek art.  Retrieved at the ancient town of Tivoli, near Rome in the 1770s, historians speculate that the statue was once a part of a wide array of art pieces that decorated the villa of Roman Emperor, Hadrian.  It was named after Marbury Hall, after having been part of the collection  of the English museum for many years.  Its more popular name of Zeus was the Greek name for the deity while the Romans called him Jupiter.

Sitting in a throne, the King of the Gods, is seen having mature features, to portray his immense superiority over men and other gods.  The throne also implied the same characteristics. The statue had once in its now missing hands a scepter and a thunderbolt. This depiction of a god with armful of powerful symbols emphasize power.    The raised right hand seems to illustrate the delivery of justice over his dominion and the calling of attention to his presence while the lowered left hand means control. The toga it wears implies wisdom and respect while the sandals it wear means love for the common people.

The masculine torso it features is a display of strength.  His elevated position is also a symbol of dominance.  Its seating position, like other Greek and Roman statues seems to illustrate divinity.   The heads posture that looked downward to the audience also means that he is looking down over his subjects as if to express that his rule does not only mean subjugation to his authority but also wishes to provide justice and express concern over his people.   The opened lips seem to suggest the power to impose command to his subjects.  Its long flowing hair and  beard imply perfection as such features were symbols of beauty for the Romans.

Generally, its sculptor created it to instill awe.  

The colossal size of the work was also meant to symbolize iconic might.  The emphasis on aesthetics and idealization was intentioned to show every intricate features of the god, to reveal every aspects of a powerful deity.  The hard stone used, which is marble emphasizes the durability of its authority.