EARLY 19TH CENTURY, AFTER THE ANTIQUE

The original marble of the Apollo belvedere is thought to date to the second century AD and is believed to be a Hadrianic copy of of an ancient Greek sculpture. It was rediscovered in central Italy in the late 15th century being brought to the Vatican by Pope Julius II in the early 16th century where it remains in the collection of the Vatican Museum. The equally famous figure of Diane Chasseresse is first recorded at Fontainebleau in 1586. The idea that the two statues are related was most discussed during the brief period from 1802 to 1815, when they were on display together in the Musee Napoleon (now the Louvre).