The Titan Atlas, condemned by Zeus to carry the heavens, kneels under a great celestial globe. This Roman marble, probably copied from a Hellenistic original, is the oldest surviving statue of Atlas, and its globe is the oldest known picture of the classical constellations. It takes its name from Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, who acquired it in 1562.
Look closer
The constellations are carved in low relief without any stars: look for Aries the ram, Cygnus the swan and Hercules. A claim that they follow Hipparchus's lost star catalogue remains contested.
Looks like this
Compared by a vision model
