The Ghost of Jupiter in Medieval Apulia

Limestone Head of a Bearded Man,
Possibly Jupiter, carved 1200-1300

On this Ides of November, a day once celebrated with the Epulum Jovis, a sacred banquet honoring Jupiter, we thought it fitting to share a few photographs we took of a mysterious limestone head at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Possibly representing the Roman deity, the sculpture dates to the thirteenth century and is believed to have been carved in Apulia, Southern Italy. Its classical appearance is particularly striking for a work created in the Christian Middle Ages, reflecting the lasting influence of antiquity on medieval art.

Whether depicting the ancient god, a forgotten hero, or a long-dead king, its weathered countenance evokes a distant world whose beauty and mysteries endure. ~ Giovanni