Some of history’s greatest monuments are surrounded by as many legends as the mythical heroes that inspired them. It is no surprise, then, that much of the artistic devotion given to these inspiring works was born from a deep reverence and the idea that the statues were more than stone and metal; they were imbued with the divine presence of their deities.
Of the many tales attributed to these masterpieces and their artists, few hold a higher position in the history of architecture and mythology than that of the Greek sculptor Phidias. His depiction of Zeus, taken from Homer’s “Odyssey,” became the standard characterization at the time of its inception in the 5th century B.C. and has remained so for 2,400 years.
