Zeus of Otricoli
European, Nineteenth Century
Plaster cast
Height: 39 inches with its base.

This over life-sized head is a plaster cast taken from the great head found at Otricoli in 1775, and transferred to the Vatican Museum and is placed in the Sala Rotunda reflecting the high regard the head was held in.  This particular cast was given to a boys school, and on the tabulum, which is partly broken, is "Class of '9?", which must be  Class of 1890 something.  The students signed the back, the entire back is covered in scrawled signatures and graffiti, which does not detract from the bust, rather ads to its interest.  The students were very respectful of the  head, no graffiti is on the front so the bust is unmarred by their attentions. 

The original head is thought to be a Roman copy after a 4th Century B.C. Greek original, but I wonder if the head might not be a Greek original.  There is a softness to the carving, and the fine grained marble is more typical of Greek sculpture.  Regardless, its large size and beauty lead it to be one of the most admired images of Zeus/Jupiter to survive.  The cast of it was widely distributed, Goethe had one in his bedroom so when he awoke, the first thing he saw was Jupiter.  Such casts are now rare, I was lucky to find one.