Head of Jupiter; Rome, 1st-2nd centuries AD. Bronze

Wall lamp with the head of Jupiter; Rome, 1st-2nd century AD.
Bronze, lead and iron interior.
In a good state of preservation.
Provenance: Private collection, Spain.
Measurements: 5 x 4 x 2 cm.
Roman applique representing a bearded male face, with rigorous and severe features, which leads us to deduce that it is a representation of the god Jupiter. Despite the passage of time, the piece is in an excellent state of preservation, which allows the aforementioned iconography to be identified. The rear area is not worked, which indicates that it is a decorative applique designed to form an ornamental part of an architectural element, or a larger sculptural group.
Jupiter is the central god of Roman mythology, father of gods and men. Son of Saturn and Ops, he was the supreme deity of the Capitoline Triad, which he formed with his wife Juno and daughter Minerva. Equivalent to the Greek Zeus, his iconographic attributes are the eagle, the thunderbolt and the sceptre of command. His cult, probably of Sabine origin, was introduced in Rome by Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome, between the end of the 8th century BC and the beginning of the 7th century BC. The largest temple in Rome, built on the Capitoline Hill, was dedicated to his cult, where he was venerated as "Iuppiter Optimus Maximus", protector of the Roman city and state, from whom authority, laws and social order emanate.