AFTER THE ANTIQUE, CAST BY M. AMODIO, NAPLES, CIRCA 1880

Originally excavated in 1545 at the Baths of Carcalla, the marble group of the Farnese bull was moved to the Palazzo Farnese in Rome by 1546. In the 1550s the group was restored at the suggestion of Michelangelo and placed in the palace courtyard to serve as a fountain. The popularity of the work was such that in 1662 Louis XIV tried unsuccessfuly to purchase the sculpture and by 1826 the work was housed in the Museo Nazionale.