The statue represents the sacred bull Apis, worshipped in Memphis, the ancient Egyptian capital. Its cult was based on a living image of the god. On his death the bull was buried in the Serapeum of Saqqara in a monumental stone sarcophagus. The statue, dating from the 2nd century BC, was brought to Rome in the imperial age, and was discovered on the Esquiline Hill, in an area formerly occupied by the Horti Maecenatiani. Its probable presence in the decorative programme of Maecenas' gardens testifies to the use of Egyptian elements even in profane contexts, not strictly linked to the Isis cult.
It came from the Esquiline Hill, near Via dello Statuto, in a plot next to Palazzo Brancaccio in an area belonging to the Horti di Mecenate. It was found in 1886 and remained in the Brancaccio collection until 1970.