The Capitoline wolf is a representation of the ancient legend of the founding of Rome. The twin babies represented here are Romulus and Remus. In the legend the twins grandfather was overthrown by his brother, and the brother ordered the twins to be cast into the Tiber River. However they were rescued by a she-wolf who cared for them until they could be taken in by a herdsmen. Later when Romulus and Remus became adults, they took back their grandfathers kingdom and decided to establish a city. They quarreled and the brother Romulus killed his brother Remus, thus beginning the history of Rome with a fratricide.

The Wolf shown here is made out of bronze, and is a good example of what some of the first sculptures were like in ancient Rome. The rib cage of the wolf along with many of its bones are shown making the wolf seem almost sickly.