Getty Villa

The Getty Villa in Malibu is an educational center and museum dedicated to the study of the arts and cultures of ancient Greece, Rome, and Etruria.  Immerse yourself in Greek, Roman and Etruscan antiquities arranged by themes including Gods and Goddesses, Dionysos and the Theater, and Stories of the Trojan War.  There is also Roman-inspired architecture and beautiful gardens.

Water lilies in the herb garden

View from East Garden to the Atrium

pillars

The Marbury Hall Zeus

King of the Olympian gods, Zeus is depicted here as a powerfully built, bearded man seated on a throne.  He originally held a scepter in his left hand and a thunderbolt in his right, symbols of his authority over the natural world.  This Roman sculpture was inspired by the monumental gold and ivory statue of Zeus created by the Greek sculptor Pheidias (about 490-430 B.C.) for the god's temple at Olympia.  The Olympian Zeus was considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world - praised by ancient writers and widely reproduced.  After this statue was found on the grounds of the Villa d'Este in Tivoli, Italy, in the late 1700's, it was used as the decorative centerpiece of one of the villa's fountains.  The work was sold to James Hugh Smith Barry in 1781 and became part of his sculpture collection at Marbury Hall in England.  Since then it has been called the Marbury Hall Zeus.

Bust of Emperor Commodus

After a Roman emperor rose to power, an official portrait was created, and copies were distributed throughout the empire.   This portrait of Lucius Aurelius Commodus Antoninus (ruled A.D. 180-192) was issued when, following the death of his father Marcus Aurelius, he became sole ruler of Rome.  Four earlier portrait types had been issued while Commodus was a prince, this type is the fifth, and the first to show him with a beard.  Among the more than a dozen ancient portraits of this type have survived from antiquity, this bust is the best preserved.  It has been known since the 1740's, when the Earl of Carlisle acquired it for Castle Howard in Yorkshire.

Head of a Bearded Man

The size and distinctive features of this head suggest that it represents an important man, but the absence of a crown indicates that he was not a ruler when the portrait was carved. Stylistically, the work resembles sculpted figures from the Altar of Zeus at Pergamon (in present-day Turkey).  The subject may be Attalos II (ruled 159-138 B.C.), a member of the Attalid dynasty, which held power over Pergamon until it was bequeathed to the Romans in 133 B.C.

Torso of a Man Wearing Armor

Only this torso and arm remain from an over-life-size statue of a man wearing full military parade armor.  Such cuirassed (armored) images were erected to honor emperors, male members of the imperial family, victorious generals, and military heroes.  Symbolic details on the armor indicate that the statue dates to the reign of the emperor Domitian (ruled A.D. 81-96) and probably commemorated one of his generals.

Faustina the Elder

Faustina the Elder (died A.D. 141), wife of Emperor Antoninus Pius (ruled A.D. 138-161), was deified upon her death, and temples were established for her worship.  Here the sculptor created an instantly recognizable public image that was suitable for a temple.  He combined Faustina's distinctive facial features and hairstyle with a standard female body type called the Large Herculaneum Woman, named for its size and the site where the first example was found.  The nose of this statue was missing, but conservators recently reconstructed a new one based on other portraits of the empress.

The Atrium

An athele

Bust of a bearded man

Head of Emperor Caligula