Bust of Zeus-Ammon, Kenwood House

Zeus-Ammon was a syncretic god worshipped as an oracle in parts of ancient Greece. He was a hybrid of Zeus, the most powerful god in the Greek pantheon, and the ancient Egyptian sun god, Amun-Re (Ammon in Greek). This bust is a Roman copy after a Greek original, combining the classical image of the bearded Zeus with the twisted ram’s horns of the Egyptian god Amun-Re. In ancient Egyptian art, Amun-Re is often depicted with a man’s body and a ram’s head, emphasising his life-giving energy and fertility.

The powerfully carved hair and beard give a sense of Zeus’s majesty and authority, while the open mouth appears to indicate Zeus-Ammon’s oracular power. David Murray (1727–1796), 2nd Earl of Mansfield is known to have acquired this bust by 1779. It remained at Kenwood until 1922 when it was sold. It was subsequently reacquired in 1955 and returned to Kenwood.

Overlooking London’s Hampstead Heath since the early 17th century, Kenwood House was transformed in the 18th century into a grand neoclassical villa. Now restored to its Georgian splendour, Kenwood is home to a world-famous art collection.