Interior of the Temple of Jupiter Panhellenius - Illustration from Views of Greece by Edward Dodwell

Interior of the Temple of Jupiter Panhellenius is an illustration from the collection Views in Greece from Drawings published by Edward Dodwell in 1821.

The interior of the Temple of Jupiter Panhellenius reveals architectural complexity and sculptural beauty. The details of the friezes and columns demonstrate the expertise of Greek craftsmen, creating a sacred space where spirit and art meet in perfect symbiosis.

The literal transcription of the notice accompanying this plate is reproduced below:

The plate we are giving here represents the interior of the temple described above, seen from the south. The Saronic Sea stretches out before the viewer's eyes, while Athens can be seen through the interstices of the columns, a little to the right of the shepherd who is represented playing the lyre. The Acropolis, the Museum Hill and Mount Anchesme can be seen rising from the plain. A little further to the left is the island of Salamis, surmounted by the Aegaeus and Parnes, which join the Pentelicus and Hymettus.

A height located at Aegina breaks the continuity of the view of the coast of Attica in a small space; after which it is seen again, following its course in an undulating line, up to the browed extremity which abruptly forms the promontory of Sunium, where on a fine day one can see the white columns of the temple of Minerva Suniade shining in the air. The great Aegean Sea is visible beyond the entrance to the Saronic Sea.

The interior of the temple is filled with masses of rubble that once belonged to the cella, the epistyles, and the vault. Most of the shrubs in the foreground are flowering, evergreen shrubs.

Since this drawing was composed, the interior of the temple has been cleared away, and the ancient pavement has been discovered; it was covered with a very fine stucco of a hard consistency, and four lines thick. Among the ruins were also found a small stone altar, and some inscriptions relating to objects belonging to the temple; this altar and these inscriptions, as well as the priceless statues mentioned, are now in the Munich collection.