"(Presented by J.C. Mcguire, Esq.) This excellent cast of the most famous statue known, though somewhat injured by exposure to the weather, is regarded as a perfect copy, its extreme fidelity having carried off a prize in Italy. The original stands in the tribunal of the Uffizi, Florence. It was found in the 15th century and carried to Venice during the reign of Cosmo di Medicis - hence its name. When found it was in thirteen pieces, and without arms. These were supplied, but it is supposed by many that the position of the original arms is not given in the substitutes. It was executed by Cleomenes of Athens at a period when Greek art was rapidly declining. Though Byron has characterized it as 'the statue that enchants the world,' there is no famous work of sculpture that has been more the subject of diverse criticism." [P. 6.]
Catalogue of the Paintings, Statuary, Casts, Bronzes, &c. of the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Washington, D.C. Gibson Brothers, Printers, 1874.
