Excavations in Rome, in the vineyard of the nuns at San Lorenzo in Panisperna, revealed a most unique treasure. The Apollo, in all his beauty unblemished, was immediately gifted to Giuliano Della Rovere, who would soon become Pope Julius II (1503-1513). The delighted cardinal put it in his collection of ancient statues and, as soon as he became Pope, he placed it in an alcove of honor in his sculpture garden in the Belvedere Palace. Scholars identified the Sculpture as a Roman copy dating back to the time of Emperor Hadrian (130A.D) and modeled after a bronze original by Leochares from as early as 330 BC. It was arguably the natural and political welfare of Greece that allowed such a level of aesthetic freedom and led to the unparalleled beauty of Greek art. Heavily prized, Apollo was taken to Paris during the Napoleonic campaign but was later returned thanks to the efforts of sculptor Antonio Canova.