Architectural Relief Depicting the Gigantomachy (Battle Between Gods and Giants)
3rd-2nd century BCE
Medium
Terracotta and pigment
Dimensions
45.8 × 46 × 21.9 cm (18 1/16 × 18 1/8 × 8 5/8 in.)
Classification
architectural fragment
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
111030
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
As the name suggests, the Gigantomachy was the struggle between and the Giants and the Olympian gods, who were led by Zeus. In flowing robes, a god and goddess capture a Giant, depicted with wings and serpent-like features, to deliver the final blow in this epic battle. These three animated figures were probably once part of a series of ornamental covers called antefixes, which were placed along the lowest row of roof tiles on a small building, probably a temple. Etruscans often decorated their ...