Octagonal Court

Laocoön strains against serpents, while Apollo Belvedere stands after releasing an arrow. These different treatments of the body became part of Pope Julius II’s ancient sculpture collection in the early sixteenth century. The courtyard was then known as the Cortile delle Statue, the Courtyard of Statues. Its place in the museum came later. In the eighteenth century, Clement XIV and Pius VI incorporated the courtyard into the Pio Clementino Museum. A papal collection acquired a new setting within a museum built for the public to see and study antiquity. The courtyard also holds a much later response to ancient sculpture. Antonio Canova carved Perseus Triumphant around 1800–1801, taking inspiration from Apollo’s proportions and stance. When Apollo had been taken to France, the new Perseus occupied its pedestal. You can compare the works’ poses while keeping their different dates in mind. A collection of ancient sculpture also shaped what a modern sculptor chose to make.