Capitoline Wolf

This is a bronze wolf statue.

It shows a wolf and two babies. The babies are named Romulus and Remus. A legend says the wolf saved them. She cared for them in the wild.

The wolf looks very alert. Her ears are up. Her eyes watch for danger.

The twins were added much later. They look different from the wolf. They are busy eating and drinking.

This wolf is a famous sign for Rome. Many cities have copies of it today.

It is a very special piece of art.

The Capitoline Wolf is a famous bronze sculpture.

It shows a she-wolf and two human twins. The twins are named Romulus and Remus. A legend says the wolf saved them. She cared for them in the wild.

The wolf looks very alert. Her ears are up. Her eyes watch for danger.

The twins look different from the wolf. They were added much later, around the year 1471. They seem busy and do not notice the wolf.

Experts disagree on when the wolf was made. Many think it is an ancient Etruscan work. This means it came from a group in Italy long ago. Other tests suggest it might be from the Middle Ages. One study used radiocarbon dating to check its age. It suggested the wolf was made between the years 1021 and 1153.

This wolf is a major symbol for Rome. Many cities have copies of it today.

One copy is in Cincinnati, Ohio. Another copy is in Rome, Georgia. The wolf is even used as a logo for a football club in Rome.

The Capitoline Wolf is a famous bronze sculpture from Italy.

It shows a she-wolf nursing two human twins. These twins are named Romulus and Remus. They are the legendary founders of the city of Rome. The statue is a powerful symbol of Roman history and mythology. People have looked at this image for many centuries. It represents how a wild animal can care for human children.

The sculpture has a very specific look and feel. The wolf is shown in a tense and watchful pose. Her ears are alert and her eyes look ready for danger. In contrast, the two human twins were made in a different style. They were added to the wolf much later, around the year 1471. The twins seem completely unaware of the world around them. They are only focused on nursing from the wolf. This difference in style makes the two parts of the statue look very different.

Experts have long debated when the wolf was actually made. For a long time, people believed it was an ancient Etruscan work. This would mean it was made around the fifth century BC. Some scholars thought it was made by an artist named Vulca. However, new tests in the 21st century have changed some ideas. Radiocarbon and thermoluminescence dating suggested a different time. These tests indicated the wolf might have been made between 1021 and 1153.

There are many interesting facts about the history of this bronze. In 65 BC, the writer Cicero mentioned a similar sacred statue. He said a lightning strike had hit a gilt statue of a wolf. The Capitoline Wolf even has damage on its paw. Some people think this damage came from that ancient lightning strike. In 1471, Pope Sixtus IV moved the sculpture to a new home. He moved it to the Palazzo dei Conservatori on the Capitoline Hill. This helped create the famous Capitoline Museum in Rome.

Today, the image of the wolf is found all over the world.

Many cities have received copies of the statue as gifts. There is a copy in Cincinnati, Ohio, from 1931. Another copy stands in Rome, Georgia, in the United States. The wolf is even used as a logo for the A.S. Roma football club. It was also used for the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. This famous animal continues to connect people to the story of Rome.

The Capitoline Wolf, known in Italian as the Lupa Capitolina, is a famous bronze sculpture. It depicts a central scene from the legendary founding of Rome. The sculpture shows a she-wolf nursing the mythical twin founders, Romulus and Remus. This image has served as a powerful symbol of Rome since ancient times. It is one of the most recognizable icons of ancient mythology.

Today, the sculpture is housed in the Palazzo dei Conservatori on the Capitoline Hill in Rome, Italy.

The sculpture consists of two distinct parts made in different eras. The wolf is depicted in a tense, watchful pose. Her ears are alert and her eyes are glaring as she watches for danger. In contrast, the human twins are executed in a completely different artistic style. They appear oblivious to their surroundings and are absorbed in nursing. These twins were added to the wolf much later, likely in the late 15th century AD. Scholars believe the sculptor Antonio del Pollaiuolo may have created them around 1471.

For many centuries, the origin of the wolf was a subject of great debate. Many scholars long believed it was an Etruscan work from the fifth century BC. The 18th-century historian Johann Joachim Winckelmann attributed it to an Etruscan maker based on the depiction of the fur. Some even suggested it was made by the artist Vulca, who worked on the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus. However, recent scientific studies have challenged this traditional view. In the 21st century, researchers used radiocarbon and thermoluminescence dating to test the bronze.

These modern tests provided results that suggested a much later date. Some findings indicated the wolf was cast between 1021 and 1153 AD. This would place its creation in the Middle Ages rather than ancient times. Art historian Anna Maria Carruba noted that the statue was cast in a single piece. She used the lost-wax casting technique, which is a method for making metal shapes. While ancient Greeks and Romans usually cast bronzes from multiple pieces, single-piece casting was common in the Middle Ages for items like bells.

Despite these new theories, some experts still argue for an ancient origin. A 2019 radiocarbon study focused on organic residues in the casting cores. This study claimed the statue belongs firmly to the 11th or 12th centuries. However, researcher John Osborne argued that the dates were inconsistent. He noted that the metal contains copper from Sardinia, which is an Etruscan type. He also found no signs of the metal adulteration common in medieval times. On the balance of probabilities, Osborne believes the wolf is likely Etruscan.

The sculpture is also linked to ancient historical accounts. The Roman writer Cicero mentioned a gilt statue of a wolf that was struck by lightning in 65 BC. The Capitoline Wolf has damage on its paw that some believe corresponds to this strike. In the 12th century, the cleric Magister Gregorius described a wolf sculpture at the Lateran Palace. He noted that the wolf had once functioned as a fountain. In 1471, Pope Sixtus IV ordered the sculpture to be moved to its current location. This move helped form the nucleus of the Capitoline Museum.

The influence of the Capitoline Wolf extends far beyond Rome. Many replicas exist in various locations around the world. In the 20th century, several copies were sent to United States cities to encourage goodwill. A replica stands in Eden Park, Cincinnati, and another is in Rome, Georgia. Other copies can be found in China and at the Siena Duomo in Italy. The image is used in many modern contexts as well. It is the emblem for the A.S. Roma football club and was used for the 1960 Summer Olympics.