Apollo. Cupid. Hercules. A young archer. Over the last five centuries, all of these names have been applied to the enigmatic sculpture that stands at the center of The Met's gallery 503, a long hall filled with 16th-century Italian sculpture and decorative arts.
Before being put on display at the world-famous art museum, the sculpture stood in the rotunda of the Payne-Whitney Mansion on Fifth Avenue, and for more than 90 years, it was simply a decorative piece in the background of life. That is, until a name was given to its creator: Michelangelo.
