His first task there was to describe the statues in the Cortile del Belvedere—the Apollo Belvedere, the Laocoön, the so-called Antinous, and the Belvedere Torso—which represented to him the "utmost perfection of ancient sculpture."
Hans første opgave var at beskrive statuerne i Cortile del Belvedere – Apollo Belvedere, Laokoon, den såkaldte Antinous, og Belvedere torsoen- som repræsenterede den "ypperligste perfektion indenfor antik skulptur."