We know from documents that a handful of ancient sculptures were on display in Rome during the 12th century in front of the Lateran Palace (the primary residence of medieval popes). These sculptures had probably been on display in various parts of the city since ancient times. The most famous of these is the equestrian statue of the emperor Marcus Aurelius, which probably survived because it was believed to portray the first Christian emperor Constantine the Great.
While medieval popes did possess a collection of ancient sculptures, the collecting of antiquities only became fashionable during the Renaissance, and began in Florence rather than Rome. Pope Paul II (1464-71) had a large collection of antiquities, mainly coins, gems and small bronzes. His successor, Sixtus IV, sold off this collection - mainly to the Medici family of Florence.
It was under Pope Julius II (1503 - 1513) that the collecting of antiquities became a passion among wealthy Romans. The sculpture court which he created at the Belvedere became the heart of a culture which almost worshipped the art of ancient Greece and Rome. Many Christians questioned whether it was appropriate to be displaying this art at the Vatican.
One of the earliest descriptions of this sculpture court comes from Giovanni Francesco Pico della Mirandola, a follower of Savanarola, the Dominican monk who preached against the Renaissance revival of pagan culture. In the introduction of his poem "De Venere et Cupidine expellendis" (in which he expressed his revulsion against pagan culture), Mirandola described the Belvedere's sculpture court as "the most fragrant citrus grove, paved with flagstone, in the midst of which stands the colossal image of the Blue Tiber. Everywhere, however, antique statues are placed, each on its little altar. Here is the Trojan Laocoon, sculpted as he is described by Vergil; there you will see the Figure of Apollo with his quiver, as he is pictured by Homer. And in one of the corners you see also the image of Cleopatra, bitten by the snake, from whose breasts, as it were, the water flows in the manner of the ancient aqueducts, and falls into an antique marble sarcophagus on which the deeds of the Emperor Trajan are related.
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