THE CAPITOLINE MUSEUMS (Musei Capitolini) IN ROME; ITALY. The creation of the Capitoline Museums has been traced back to 1471; when Pope Sixtus IV donated a group of bronze statues of great symbolic value to the People of Rome. The collections are closely linked to the city of Rome; and most of the exhibits come from the city itself. STATUE OF LEDA WITH THE SWANSculpture From original by the greek sculptor Timotheus (360 BC)Marble cm 132This group is a sculptural representation of the erotic theme of Leda and Zeus in the guise of a swan. Leda; nude; is depicted in the act of lifting up her mantle with her left arm in order to protect the swan from the eagle in the act of snatching it. With her right hand; she holds the swan. The figure is leaning on a tree trunk placed to her right. The statue could be a reworking of a group attributed to the Greek Timotheos; in the fourth century BC; and very common in many replicas beginning in the first century BC.