Naples
AA-2026-3B86F4
On the image
Someone in ancient times decided this particular myth, involving a queen, two brothers, and a wild bull, was important enough to carve from a mountain of marble. The resulting tableau captures a moment of peak tension, where everyone is either grappling, struggling, or looking extremely concerned.
The brothers, Amphion and Zethus, are demonstrating an impressive grasp of bovine mechanics, while Dirce appears to be having a particularly bad day, secured to the bull. Even the small dog seems to be participating in the general chaos, offering moral support or perhaps just trying to figure out what's going on.
This entire energetic scene was then carefully preserved for millennia, only to be rediscovered and placed in a museum in Naples, where tourists in the 1970s could stand and ponder the dramatic life choices of mythological figures, perhaps wondering if the sculptors ever considered a more relaxed theme.
The historian's note
The Farnese Bull (Toro Farnese) is a monumental Roman marble sculpture, dating from the Imperial period (around 200-220 AD), now housed in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples, Italy. It depicts the myth of Dirce, who was tied to a wild bull by Amphion and Zethus as punishment for her cruel treatment of their mother, Antiope.
Originally excavated in 1545 from the Baths of Caracalla in Rome, the sculpture is a Roman copy of a Hellenistic Greek original from the 2nd century BC, created by Apollonius and Tauriscus of Tralles. It is one of the largest single sculptures ever recovered from antiquity.
During the 1970s, the Farnese Bull continued to be a significant attraction at the Naples museum, representing a pinnacle of ancient Roman artistic achievement and a testament to the dramatic narrative power of classical mythology rendered in marble.
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The Farnese Bull, National Archaeological Museum, Naples, 1970s. 1970–1979. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-3B86F4. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/the-farnese-bull-national-archaeological-museum-naples-1970s.
@misc{aaAA20263B86F4,
title = {The Farnese Bull, National Archaeological Museum, Naples, 1970s},
year = {1970–1979},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-3B86F4},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/the-farnese-bull-national-archaeological-museum-naples-1970s}
}TY - ART TI - The Farnese Bull, National Archaeological Museum, Naples, 1970s PY - 1970–1979 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-3B86F4 UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/the-farnese-bull-national-archaeological-museum-naples-1970s ER -
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