The Jupiter, also known as the Giant, was a colossal statue made of marmorino stucco by Marcello Sparzo, datable to 1586. It was demolished between late 1935 and 1936. It was one of the most important 16th-century examples of colossal work, and was also one of the largest figures of the entire 16th century.
Description
The colossus, approximately eight metres tall, was modelled in a Mannerist style with classical influences, and commissioned by Gianandrea Doria in honour of the prince-admiral Andrea Doria. It was placed in a monumental aedicule or niche decorated with three spires with spherical pinnacles (the central one was in some older depictions represented as a pediment with two lateral volutes adorned with festoons). The composition showed stylistic affinities with Ammannati's Neptune, Giambologna's Oceanus and Neptune, but especially with the unfinished Neptune by Bandinelli, also commissioned by the Doria, which together with other works probably served as a source of inspiration for the sculptor and the patron. It depicted a Jupiter Pluvius semi-nude, with a drape around the belly and a belt or scabbard worn over the shoulder to secure a cloak on the shoulder. In his right fist he held a gladius or short sword, and in his left a thunderbolt, typical of traditional iconography. The face was turned eastward, towards the city. Given the shape of the head above the curls, he probably wore a crown or other metal ornament, already lost by the time of demolition. A large eagle was placed next to the figure's right foot, with its beak facing east. The bird of prey represented both the animal beloved by the deity and the heraldic symbol of the Doria family, and perhaps also recalled the Imperial Habsburg coat of arms, in memory of Andrea Doria's pro-Habsburg shift. The figure's left foot, instead, rested on the head of an animal, not clearly identified by the sources – perhaps a sea monster or a dolphin, as in the traditional iconography of Neptune (but it could also be a wolf, as in the Jupiter by Pietro Francavilla from 1585 displayed at Palazzo Bianco, almost certainly seen by Sparzo himself). As can be seen from comparison with the numerous 17th-century Genoese commissions, the statue was probably built with a marmorino stucco composed of marble dust, white sand from Savona, and hydraulically setting elements such as lime, kaolin or pozzolana. Given the extraordinary durability shown by the colossus, particularly advanced technical skills for the period were certainly employed. The statue appeared in a bright white colour, with a scenographic contrast effect against the surrounding dark Mediterranean shrubland. It stood in front of the underlying statue of Neptune, sculpted thirteen years later by Taddeo Carlone and still located today in the southern garden of the villa. The two statues were about 220 metres apart in a straight line, and the Palazzo del Principe stood between them, designing an ideal perspective axis that united the sea with the hill, placing the building under the symbolic protection of the two deities. Although it did not always receive the same attention over the centuries, following the fortunes of the Doria family as well, according to Alizeri the statue was of such mastery and quality that it deserved "for the author a praise most difficult for anyone who sculpts or models: that of giving the right appearance to colossi according to the place that receives them and according to the point from which they are to be viewed". In two ancient works, the map of Genoa by Alessandro Baratta from 1637 and the view of the Villa del Principe by Antonio Giolfi from the mid-18th century, the colossus is curiously depicted with the right arm raised upwards, while it seems to be depicted correctly in the older map by Giovanni Battista Costanzo published in the early 1600s.
History
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