 The statue was cast in silver by Johann Friedrich Ludwig and finished in 1699.A century later it fell victim to an act of barbarism when, in 1798, it was dismantled and the head, arms and legs as well as the accompanying angels melted down for their material value during the Roman Republic.Le Gros' chasuble was left intact and the missing parts remade with slight variations in silver coated plaster from 1803–04 under the supervision of Antonio Canova by one of his assistants.