The nymph Amaltheia wit Jupiter. Pierre Julien (1731-1804) Barbedienne fondeur

From Pierre Julien (1731-1804), The nymph Amaltheia with Jupiter the Goat, gilded bronze on a marble base, signed "BARBEDIENNE FONDEUR". H statue 50 cm. with the base H 62 cm. Stamp of the 'réduction mécanique' technique by A. Collas.

According to some traditions, Amaltheia was a goat that suckled the little Zeus and was then rewarded for this service by being placed among the stars. According to another set of traditions, Amaltheia was instead a nymph, daughter of Oceanus, Helios, Emonios or the Cretan king Melisseus and it was she who, like an adoptive mother, took care of the nourishment of the infant Zeus by means of one of the horns broken by a goat, which was appropriately filled from time to time with goat's milk or honey and fruit, and which served as nourishment for the little god. Later, when the god Zeus became the king of the gods, he transferred the horn and the goat to the stars.