The head probably comes from the area of the Sforzesco Castle, formerly known as the Castle of Porta Giovia due to the probable presence of a temple dedicated to the father of the gods. The marble face most likely belonged to a majestic cult statue in which the king of the gods was depicted seated on a throne, according to the model created by Phidias for the temple of Zeus in Olympia; this prototype became widespread in the ancient world and probably taken up by Briasside (second half of the 4th century BC) for the mammoth statue of Serapis, of which the best known copy is the so-called "Zeus of Otricoli" in the Vatican Museums. The nose, the mustache on the sides of the mouth and the beard on the chin are restored.