The six monumental sculptural groups next to the Genio della Vittoria by Michelangelo and the model of the Firenze vittoriosa su Pisa by Giambologna along the longest sides of the Salone dei Cinquecento are part of a cycle of twelve Fatiche d'Ercole commissioned to sculptor Vincenzo de' Rossi (1525-1587) in 1560 by Duke Cosimo I de' Medici, but never completed.

This cycle of sculptural works was dedicated to the hero selected as a symbol of freedom and perseverance in victory by the Municipality of Florence first and the Medicis later. According to the original project the cycle was meant to ornament a fountain, perhaps destined to the Boboli Gardens.

Upon the sculptor's death, however, which followed that of his commissioner by thirteen years, only seven of the twelve Fatiche had been completed.

The six groups currently located in the Salone dei Cinquecento were originally placed here in 1592 at the behest of Grand Duke Ferdinando I de' Medici, the son of Cosimo I, on the occasion of the baptismal celebrations in honor of his first-born son.

The groups arranged along the wall of the principal entry area moving from the south toward the Udienza depict Ercole e Caco, Ercole e il Centauro Nesso and Ercole e Anteo, those on the opposite side of the room, in the same order, Ercole e Diomede, Ercole e il Cinghiale di Erimanto and Ercole e Ippolita.

The seventh group, depicting Hercules bearing the World for Atlas, has been located since the third decade of the 17th century in the entrance to the Villa of Poggio Imperiale.

Between 1865 and 1871, when Florence was the capital of the Kingdom of Italy and the Salone dei Cinquecento in Palazzo Vecchio was set up to serve as a parliamentary chamber, the six groups by Vincenzo de' Rossi were moved to the Bargello National Museum.

They remained here until 1884, when the municipality of Florence, which in the meantime had become the owner of Palazzo Vecchio, requested them on a loan basis from the state in order to restore the ancient monumental magnificence of the Salone dei Cinquecento.

Today, thanks to Casalgrande Padana, the statues will be restored to their original splendor.