The antique marble original of the Farnese Bull is in the Museo Nazionale in Naples. The group was excavated in 1545 in the Baths of Caracella in Rome. The subject matter represented derives from the fable of Dirce, in which Dirce is punished by being attached to a wild bull. One of the most celebrated attractions in Rome, the model was reproduced in a reduced size throughout the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.