Capitoline Wolf, (sculpture).

Capitoline Wolf, (sculpture).

Unknown, sculptor.

Pollaiolo, Antonio, sculptor. (copy after)

Capitoline Wolf, (sculpture).

Romulus and Remus, (sculpture).

Dedicated July 20, 1929 or July 30, 1929. Relocated 1940. Reinstalled Sept. 5, 1952 or Sept. 8, 1952.

Sculpture: bronze; Base: Georgia marble.

Sculpture: approx. 2 ft. 7 in. x 4 ft. 3 in. x 1 ft. 7 in.; Base: approx. 4 ft. 9 in. x 5 ft. 7 in. x 3 ft. 11 in. (1,500 lbs.).

(On large bronze plaque, front of base:) ROMAE.NOVAE./.AUSPICIUM.PROSPERITATIS/.ET.GLORIAE./LUPAM.CAPITOLINAM SIGNUM./.ROMA.AETERNA./.CONSULE.BENITO.MUSSOLINI./.MISIT./.ANNO.MCMXXIX. (On small bronze plaque above large plaque, front of base:) TRANSLATION/"THIS STATUE OF THE CAPITOLINE WOLF,/AS A FORECAST OF PROSPERITY AND GLORY,/HAS BEEN SENT FROM ANCIENT ROME TO/NEW ROME, DURING THE CONSULSHIP OF/BENITO MUSSOLINI, IN THE YEAR 1929." unsigned

A she-wolf standing with suckling twins Romulus and Remus beneath her. The twin on the left sits on a rock with his proper left leg resting straight out. His proper right hand is in front of him with palm facing up and open, and his proper left arm is raised with palm next to his head. The twin on the right kneels with his proper left knee on a rocky mound. He holds both of his hands up with fingers open. The sculpture is mounted on a rectangular base with a wide bottom step.

Mythology -- Classical -- Romulus

Mythology -- Classical -- Remus

Allegory -- Place -- Rome

Outdoor Sculpture -- Georgia -- Rome

City of Rome, 601 Broad Street, In front of City Auditorium, Rome, Georgia 30161

The sculpture was a gift to the City of Rome, Georgia from Rome, Italy by Chatillon Company at the suggestion of Benito Mussolini. The sculpture is a replica of the original that stands in the Palazzo dei Conservatori on Capitoline Hill in Rome, Italy. The original she-wolf sculpture, without Romulus and Remus, was created by the Etruscans during the 6th century B.C. The original Romulus and Remus were sculpted during the 15th century by Italian artist Antonio Pollaiolo, and then added to the she-wolf to complete the grouping. According to Roman mythology, Romulus and Remus are the descendants of Mars. After being thrown into the river Tiber, the twins were suckled back to health by a she-wolf. Later, Romulus founded the city of Rome.

In November of 1933 one of the twins was stolen, and after a fruitless search, the Rome Rotary Club and the International Rotary Club had a duplicate infant cast and shipped from Italy to replace the missing one. The new twin was presented in March of 1934, and was firmly cemented to the base to prevent further loss. In 1940, war-time threats to destroy the sculpture convinced the Rome City Commission to remove the sculpture and place it in storage for its own safety. After World War II, citizens began a movement to restore the sculpture to its base in front of the Rome City Auditorium, and in September 1952 it was reinstalled.

IAS files contain articles from the Rome News-Tribune, July 21, 1929, pg. 1 and 3; Sept. 9, 1952; and Sept. 2, 1963; the Chattanooga News-Free Press, June 12, 1940; and an excerpt from Roger Aycock's "All Roads Lead to Rome," W. H. Wolfe Associates, 1981, pg. 393-398 (which lists the dedication date as July 30, 1929 and the reinstallation date as September 5, 1952, although SOS! survey reports dedication date as July 20, 1929 and reinstallation date as September 8, 1952.)

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Georgia survey, 1994.

Rome News-Tribune, July 21, 1929, pg. 3.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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