Jupiter seated

The sculpture was in the Pratolino Medici Villa until 1824 and until the early 20th century, it was thought to be an ancient Greek statue. The work, even with the various interventions undertaken over time, conveys Baccio Bandinelli’s great passion for the ancient world developed during his stays in Rome. Initially it represented God the Father and was made for the choir in Santa Maria del Fiore; in 1587 it had already been reused as an element of a fountain and reworked as Jupiter, with the addition of bunch of lightning bolts in his left hand and a black marble eagle, which is no longer there. A furrow between the lower back and the right shoulder, which was intended for the insertion of a water pipe, is still visible.

In addition to Bandinelli's interest in ancient sculpture, the work reflects his attraction to the work of Donatello, whose St John the Baptist (now in the Museum of the Works of the Cathedral in Florence) seems to be deliberately cited in the figure’s posture, reinterpreted, however, in an excessively rigid manner.