 The dolphin would not have been a necessary support for the bronze original.It bears a Greek inscription CLEOMENES SON OF APOLLODORUS OF ATHENS on its base.The inscription is not original, but in the 18th century the name "Cleomenes" was forged on sculptures of modest quality to enhance their value, while the inscription on the Venus de' Medici was doubted in order to ascribe the work to one of various highly-thought-of names