Thorvaldsen found the model for this drawing in the north façade of the Villa Borghese. The motif is rooted in antiquity and the basic tone is still rather playful – as is the case with the other Thorvaldsen drawings from the Villa Borghese. When Thorvaldsen was working on the Schiller monument in 1835, he returned to the fabulous winged monster with the head of an eagle and the body of a lion.