Nothing is known of the provenance of this statuette, which depicts Atlas holding the celestial sphere on his shoulders, a punishment inflicted by Zeus, according to Hesiod, for having joined forces with Zeus’ father, Cronus, who led the revolt of the Titans against the gods of Olympus. It is an expressive work, which plays with the contrast between the image of the giant, who is gilded to simulate a metal sculpture, and the blue sphere of the sky, which is divided in the front section into six starry parts, with the two largest parts on either side including the sun (on the left) and the moon (on the right). The giant’s feet are resting on a sphere that is, in turn, inserted with a pin into a marble base. The original function of this work is not known, but may perhaps have been used as a decorative ornament, and was probably produced in France in the first quarter of the 20th century. It can be related to two other pieces, similar in various ways, which are also held at the museum, depicting the figure of the goddess Fortune.

 

Grazia Maria Fachechi