Notes: As Krahn explains in the catalogue for his 1995 bronze exhibition in Berlin (op.cit.), there are no other casts or known models for the present large and exceptional pair of gilt bronzes. Clearly inspired by the antique, Jupiter’s pose is reminiscent of a statue of Jupiter which was in the Giustiniani Collection in Rome in the 17th century and is known through prints by Claude Mellan (1598-1688) and others. Two volumes of engravings of the antique statues in the collection were compiled, under the direction of Joachim von Sandrart, in 1631. Juno’s elaborate drapery is reminiscent of the carving on several of the marble statues of goddesses in the Giustiniani Collection as well as the so-called Urania in the Capitoline Museums. It is likely that the sculptor of these bronzes was familiar with this statue at least through prints.

The subjects of Jupiter and Juno were popular in baroque sculpture, Alessandro Algardi, active in Rome, modeled a set of four firedogs representing the elements in the guise of mythological figures; two of the designs were figures of Jupiter and Juno as fire and air. The models were created just before Algardi’s death in 1654 and were executed on a reduced scale for the French court, both in silver and in bronze.

However, the stationary conception and anatomical details of this figure of Jupiter are distinct from the more fluid conceptions of French artists. The terrain style bases are unusual, while the sharpness of details, in particular the drapery, is reminiscent of goldsmith's work. Their lack of affinity to both French and Italian bronzes of the period indicate that these figures may be rare surviving examples of bronzes produced in the second half of the 17th century in Augsburg, the centre of baroque goldsmithing in Germany.