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29-621: The statue was a chryselephantine sculpture of ivory plates and gold panels on a wooden framework. Zeus sat on a painted cedarwood throne ornamented with ebony, ivory, gold, and precious stones. It was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World . The statue was lost and destroyed before the end of the 6th century AD, with conflicting accounts of the date and circumstances. Details of its form are known only from ancient Greek descriptions and representations on coins and art. The statue of Zeus

58-468: A detailed description: the statue was crowned with a sculpted wreath of olive sprays and wore a gilded robe made from glass and carved with animals and lilies. Its right hand held a small chryselephantine statue of crowned Nike , goddess of victory; its left a scepter inlaid with many metals, supporting an eagle. The throne featured painted figures and wrought images and was decorated with gold, precious stones, ebony, and ivory. Zeus' golden sandals rested upon

87-458: A footstool decorated with an Amazonomachy in relief. The passage underneath the throne was restricted by painted screens. Pausanias also recounts that the statue was kept constantly coated with olive oil to counter the harmful effect on the ivory caused by the "marshiness" of the Altis grove. The floor in front of the image was paved with black tiles and surrounded by a raised rim of marble to contain

116-417: A man forget all his earthly troubles. According to Strabo , when Phidias was asked about the model he would use for his Zeus, he answered that he would portray Zeus according to these words of Homer : The son of Cronos spoke, and bowed his dark brow in assent, and the ambrosial locks waved from the king's immortal head; and he made great Olympus quake (English translation by A.T. Murray). The sculptor also

145-449: A statue involved skills in sculpture, carpentry, jewellery, and ivory-carving. Once completed, the statues required constant maintenance. It is known that at Olympia, skilled personnel were employed to ensure the upkeep of the Zeus statue. In the second century BC, the prominent sculptor Damophon of Messene was commissioned to repair it. Due to the high value of some of the materials used and

174-483: A wooden frame with thin carved slabs of ivory attached, representing the flesh, and sheets of gold leaf representing the garments, armour, hair, and other details. In some cases, glass paste , glass, and precious and semi-precious stones were used for detail such as eyes, jewellery, and weaponry. The origins of the technique are obscure. There are known examples, from the 2nd millennium BC, of composite sculptures made of ivory and gold from areas that became part of

203-512: The Archaic period, discovered at Delphi . It is not known whom they depict, although they are assumed to represent deities. The term chryselephantine is also used for a style of sculpture fairly common in 19th-century European art, especially Art Nouveau . In this context, it describes statuettes with skin of ivory and clothing and other details made of other materials, such as gold , bronze , marble , silver , or onyx . For instance, circa 1840

232-510: The Archaic period. Later, acrolithitic statues, with marble heads and extremities and a wooden trunk either gilded or covered in drapery, were a comparable technique used for cult images. The technique was normally used for cult statues within temples; typically, they were greater than life-sized. Construction was modular , so that some of the gold could be removed and melted for coin or bullion in times of severe financial hardship, to be replaced later when finances had recovered. For example,

261-617: The Classical period, are those sculpted by Phidias : the 13-metre tall (43 ft) standing statue of Athena Parthenos in the Parthenon at Athens , and the 12-metre (39 ft) seated statue of Zeus in the temple at Olympia , considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World . Chryselephantine statues were not only intended to be visually striking; they also displayed the wealth and cultural achievements of those who constructed them or financed their construction. The creation of such

290-638: The Gothic kingdoms to Nicene Christianity. The main points of dissent between the two centered on Christology , or the nature of Jesus' divinity. Nicene Christianity regards Jesus as divine and co-eternal with God the Father, while Arianism treats him as the first among created beings and inferior to God the Father. Various other non-Nicene doctrines and beliefs have existed since the early medieval period , all of which have been considered heresies . Religious historians and scholars often define Nicene Christianity as being

319-880: The modern reproduction of the Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee . After the 1890s, reflecting the change that Simart and some sculptors had already embraced, the meaning of chryselephantine was extended to include any statue fashioned in a combination of ivory with other materials. In the early 20th century, German sculptors Ferdinand Preiss and Franz Iffland became well known for their chryselephantine sculptures. A number of other European sculptors also produced chryselephantine pieces, among them Joé Descomps , Josef Lorenzl , Georges Omerth , Claire J. R. Colinet , Pierre Le Faguays , D. H. Chiparus , Bruno Zach , and Dominique Alonzo . Nicene Christian Nicene Christianity includes those Christian denominations that adhere to

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348-454: The 1st century BC that the statue gave "the impression that if Zeus arose and stood erect he would unroof the temple." The Zeus was a chryselephantine sculpture , made with ivory and gold panels on a wooden substructure. No copy in marble or bronze has survived, though there are recognizable but only approximate versions on coins of nearby Elis and on Roman coins and engraved gems . The 2nd-century AD geographer and traveler Pausanias left

377-503: The Greek world, most famously the so-called " Palaikastro Kouros " (not to be confused with the Archaic Kouros statues), from Minoan Palaikastro , c.  1450 BC. It is likely the only enshrined Minoan cult image that has survived. It is, however, not clear whether the Greek chryselephantine tradition is connected with these. Chryselephantine sculpture became widespread during

406-457: The clay moulds for parts of Zeus's garments made of glass or glass-paste have been discovered in the building known as the "Workshop of Phidias". They are the only finds directly associated with the great sculptor's most famous works and thus provide useful information on their creation. Few examples of chryselephantine sculpture have been found. The most prominent surviving examples are fragments of several smaller than life-sized burnt statues from

435-575: The council, the Roman Empire established Chalcedonian Christianity as its official state religion; those churches which held that Christ was of a single nature were excommunicated by the Empire and became the Oriental Orthodox Churches . Today, examples of non-Nicene Christian denominations encompass both Protestant and non-Protestant non-trinitarian groups. Examples of these groups include

464-431: The figure of Nike held in the right hand of Phidias 's Athena Parthenos was made from solid gold with this very purpose in mind. Indeed, in times of prosperity, up to six solid gold Nikae were cast, serving as a "sacred treasury" whose safety was ensured by the sanctity accorded to a cult object, as well as the presence of priestesses, priests, and maintenance staff at the temple. The two best-known examples, both from

493-568: The first incarnation of the state church of the Roman Empire that was officially endorsed by the Roman Emperors from 381. According to this definition, the Nicene Church ceased to exist following the Council of Chalcedon in 451, which was convened to address Christological disagreements on the human and divine natures of Christ, concluding that Christ had two distinct inseparable natures. Following

522-604: The god to show by a sign whether the work was to his liking. Immediately, runs the legend, a thunderbolt fell on that part of the floor where down to the present day the bronze jar stood to cover the place." According to Roman historian Suetonius , the Roman Emperor Caligula gave orders that "such statues of the gods as were especially famous for their sanctity or their artistic merit, including that of Jupiter at Olympia, should be brought from Greece, in order to remove their heads and put his own in their place." The emperor

551-451: The later 2nd century, who referenced it in Timon : "they have laid hands on your person at Olympia, my lord High-Thunderer, and you had not the energy to wake the dogs or call in the neighbours; surely they might have come to the rescue and caught the fellows before they had finished packing up the loot." The approximate date of the statue (the third quarter of the 5th century BC) was confirmed in

580-456: The oil. This reservoir acted as a reflecting pool which doubled the apparent height of the statue. According to the Roman historian Livy , the Roman general Aemilius Paullus (the victor over Macedon ) saw the statue and "was moved to his soul, as if he had seen the god in person", while the 1st-century   AD Greek orator Dio Chrysostom declared that a single glimpse of the statue would make

609-607: The perishable nature of others, most chryselephantine statues were destroyed during antiquity and the Middle Ages. For example, of the statue of Athena Parthenos, only the hole that held its central wooden support survives today in the floor of her temple. The appearance of the statue is nevertheless known from a number of miniature marble copies discovered in Athens, as well as from a detailed description by Pausanias . Pausanias also described Phidias's statue of Zeus at Olympia. Here, some of

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638-451: The rediscovery (1954–1958) of Phidias' workshop, approximately where Pausanias said the statue of Zeus was constructed. Archaeological finds included tools for working gold and ivory, ivory chippings, precious stones and terracotta moulds. Most of the latter were used to create glass plaques, and to form the statue's robe from sheets of glass, naturalistically draped and folded, then gilded. A cup inscribed "ΦΕΙΔΙΟΥ ΕΙΜΙ" or "I belong to Phidias"

667-464: The sculptor Pierre-Charles Simart produced a copy in ivory and gold, based on ancient descriptions, of the Athena Parthenos of Phidias for patron Honoré Théodoric d'Albert de Luynes . The result was somewhat disappointing: "... it cost Luynes a hundred thousand francs to prove that Simart was not Phidias." Another 19th-century version of this figure by American sculptor Alan LeQuire stands in

696-467: The statue's eventual destruction are unknown. The 11th-century Byzantine historian Georgios Kedrenos records a tradition that it was carried off to Constantinople , where it was destroyed in the great fire of the Palace of Lausus , in 475 AD. Alternatively, the statue perished along with the temple, which was severely damaged by fire in 425 AD. But earlier loss or damage is implied by Lucian of Samosata in

725-625: The teaching of the Nicene Creed , which was formulated at the First Council of Nicaea in AD 325 and amended at the First Council of Constantinople in AD 381. It encompasses the vast majority of today's Christian churches. At the time of the First Council of Nicaea, the main rival of Nicene Christian doctrine was that of Arianism , which became eclipsed during the 7th century AD with the conversion of

754-460: Was assassinated before this could happen, in 41 AD; his death was supposedly foretold by the statue, which "suddenly uttered such a peal of laughter that the scaffolding collapsed and the workmen took to their heels." In 391 AD, the Christian Roman emperor Theodosius I banned participation in pagan cults and closed the temples. The sanctuary at Olympia fell into disuse. The circumstances of

783-597: Was commissioned by the Eleans , custodians of the Olympic Games , in the latter half of the fifth century BC for their newly constructed Temple of Zeus . Seeking to outdo their Athenian rivals, the Eleans employed sculptor Phidias , who had previously made the massive statue of Athena Parthenos in the Parthenon . The statue occupied half the width of the aisle of the temple built to house it. The geographer Strabo noted early in

812-601: Was found at the site. However, the inscription is considered by some to be a forgery. 37°38′16.3″N 21°37′48″E  /  37.637861°N 21.63000°E  / 37.637861; 21.63000 Chryselephantine sculpture Chryselephantine sculpture (from Greek χρυσός , chrysós , 'gold', and ελεφάντινος , elephántinos , 'ivory') is a sculpture made with gold and ivory . Chryselephantine cult statues enjoyed high status in Ancient Greece . Chryselephantine statues were built around

841-413: Was reputed to have immortalised Pantarkes, the winner of the boys' wrestling event at the eighty-sixth Olympiad who was said to have been his "beloved" ( eromenos ), by carving Pantarkes kalos ("Pantarkes is beautiful") into Zeus's little finger, and by placing a relief of the boy crowning himself at the feet of the statue. According to Pausanias, "when the image was quite finished Pheidias prayed

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