Torso of Polyphemus

myminifactory

The sculpture, documented as "Hercules, partly of brick and partly of marble" in the Altemps records, was originally situated on the ground-floor portico to the left of the grand staircase. Now occupying its place is a plaster replica with a stucco head, created in 1600 to complete the work. The torso has been interpreted variously throughout different eras as Polyphemus, Atlas, or Hercules, primarily based on information found in the Altemps records, and has recently been identified as a copy of the Polyphemus from the group featuring Odysseus from Sperlonga, dating back to between the 1st and 2nd century AD.