Amy Whitehurst

Salon 2, catalog no. 5

500-480 BCE

Rome, Italy

Capitoline Wolf

This piece was made for the new Roman Republic after the expulsion of Tarquinius Superbus. This sculpture represents an old legend of twins that were abandoned as infants, and raised by a wolf. According to the legend, the wolf nursed the twins Romulus & Remus who later grew into adulthood, quarreled and Romulus killed Remus over a power conflict between ownership of the 7 hills. This piece has become an iconic symbol, and a governmental totem of Rome.

I selected this piece because I love when a sculpture contains a narrative within it. The sculpture itself also contains very visual elements that paint the picture of the legend from the Etruscan time.