Capitoline Wolf
bronze sculpture of a she-wolf suckling twin infants, inspired by the founding legend of Rome, on display in the Capitoline Museums, Rome
The Capitoline Wolf (Latin: Lupa Capitolina) is a bronze sculpture depicting a scene from the legend of the founding of Rome. The sculpture shows a she-wolf suckling the mythical twin founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. According to the legend, when King Numitor, grandfather of the twins, was overthrown by his brother Amulius in Alba Longa, the usurper ordered them to be cast into the Tiber River. They were rescued by a she-wolf that cared for them until a herdsman, Faustulus, found and raised them.
The age and origin of the Capitoline Wolf are controversial. The statue was long thought to be an Etruscan work of the fifth century BC, with the twins added in the late 15th century AD, probably by sculptor Antonio del Pollaiuolo. In a conference on the theme held in Rome on 28 February 2008, most academics continued to support an ancient Etruscan origin. Furthermore, an analysis of the metal suggests that it contains lead from a source not known to have operated during medieval times. However, radiocarbon and thermoluminescence dating in the 21st century has suggested that the wolf portion of the statue may have been cast between 1021 and 1153. A 2025 lead isotope analysis of the bronze suggests that its metallic composition is consistent with copper obtained from various mines in the Holy Roman Empire.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Capitoline Wolf” as bronze sculpture of a she-wolf suckling twin infants, inspired by the founding legend of Rome, on display in the Capitoline Museums, Rome. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as bronze sculpture of a she-wolf suckling twin infants, inspired by the founding legend of Rome, on display in the Capitoline Museums, Rome. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q408623. Authority coordinates are 41.893, 12.484. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2008, 1021, 1153 and 2025.
Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Capitoline Wolf” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.