The bronze was modeled after the famous marble group by Giovanni da Bologna, called Giambologna (1529-1608) with the larger-than-life figures "Rape of the Sabine Woman" (1579-1582), which stands prominently in Florence's Piazza della Signoria. A young man forces a bearded man to his knees and clutches the Sabine woman. Bodies are so intertwined that they encourage the viewer to look at the figures from all sides. Such copies of important works often served as souvenirs for travelers to Italy.