The Capitoline Wolf

The bronze sculpture depicts the she-wolf caring for the twins Romulus and Remus, who are central figures in the foundation myth of Rome. According to legend, the twins were abandoned in the Tiber River and nursed by the she-wolf before being discovered by a shepherd. Romulus later founded the city of Rome.

The Capitoline Wolf is housed in the Capitoline Museums (Musei Capitolini) in Rome, Italy, where it has been displayed since the 16th century. It is located in the Palazzo dei Conservatori, one of the main buildings on the Capitoline Hill. It remains one of the museum's most famous and culturally significant pieces.

For centuries, the wolf figure was believed to be an Etruscan artifact dating back to the 5th century BC. However, in the 2000s, radiocarbon dating and metallurgical analysis suggested the wolf was actually cast during the Middle Ages, likely in the 11th or 12th century. The figures of the twins were added later, during the Renaissance in the 15th century.

The bronze figures of the twins were added to the older wolf sculpture during the late 15th century, probably around 1471. They are widely attributed to the sculptor Antonio del Pollaiuolo, a master of the Florentine Renaissance. The addition was commissioned by Pope Sixtus IV when the statue was donated to the city of Rome.