Best Roman Copy

The Farnese Hercules is a large marble sculpture depicting the Greek hero Heracles. Created as a Roman copy of a lost Lysippos original, it’s notable for its impressive scale and detail showcasing classical Greek artistic ideals. Discovered in Rome during the Renaissance, the statue now resides in t...

The Bust of Socrates in the Vatican Museums is a Roman marble copy derived from a bronze Greek original created during the 4th century BCE. It depicts the classical Athenian philosopher Socrates, capturing his distinct features, including a broad nose, protruding eyes, and a thick beard. This sculpt...

The Lancellotti Discobolus is a 2nd-century CE Roman marble copy of a lost bronze original by the Greek sculptor Myron (c. 450 BCE), depicting an athlete mid-throw and exemplifying classical ideals of motion in sculpture.

The Bust of Plato housed in the Vatican Museums is a Roman marble copy created after a Greek bronze original sculpted by Silanion. The portrait depicts the Athenian philosopher Plato, who founded the Academy in Athens and authored foundational texts like the Dialogues. It presents him as a thoughtfu...

The surviving busts of Aristotle are Roman marble copies of a lost Greek bronze original, generally attributed to the sculptor Lysippos. They depict the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, who studied under Plato in Athens and later served as a tutor to Alexander the Great. These portraits typicall...

The Bust of Homer in the British Museum is a Roman marble copy of a lost Hellenistic original, depicting the legendary ancient Greek epic poet. Homer is credited with composing the Iliad and the Odyssey, and this portrait type characteristically portrays him as a blind, elderly man with a furrowed b...

The Bust of Demosthenes in the Vatican Museums is a Roman marble copy of a Greek bronze portrait created by the sculptor Polyeuktos around 280 BCE, over four decades after the Athenian orator's death in 322 BCE. The bronze original stood in the Athenian Agora and was commissioned by the Polis to hon...

This marble bust is a Roman-era copy of a Greek original depicting the ancient Athenian tragedian Sophocles, who lived from approximately 497 to 406 BCE. The portrait is classified as the "Lateran type" because its proportions are based on a full-length statue formerly housed in the Lateran collecti...

This Roman marble portrait bust, held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, depicts the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus, who lived from 341 to 270 BCE. Epicurus founded the philosophical school of Epicureanism, which taught that the pursuit of a simple, tranquil life free from pain...

The Bust of Aeschylus is an ancient portrait sculpture housed in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. It is a Roman marble copy modeled after a Greek original depicting Aeschylus, the Athenian playwright active circa 525–456 BCE who is widely regarded as the father of Greek tragedy. The scu...

The Bust of Euripides (Farnese Type) is a Roman marble copy of a lost Greek bronze portrait of the Athenian tragedian Euripides, who lived from approximately 480 to 406 BCE. The portrait type is named after a famous example formerly in the Farnese Collection, now housed in the National Archaeologica...

This marble portrait bust depicts the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who lived in the fifth century BCE and is widely regarded as the 'Father of History.' The sculpture is a Roman copy of a lost Hellenistic Greek original and is part of the permanent collection of Greek and Roman art at the Metr...

The Bust of Pindar is a Roman marble portrait sculpture housed in the Chiaramonti Museum of the Vatican Museums. It is a Roman-era copy of a lost Greek original depicting the renowned Boeotian lyric poet Pindar, who lived from approximately 518 to 438 BCE. The sculpture is identified by its idealize...

The Bust of Thucydides is a Roman marble portrait sculpture currently housed in the Marble Hall of Holkham Hall in Norfolk, England. It is a copy of a lost Greek bronze original depicting the prominent Athenian historian Thucydides, who lived from approximately 460 to 400 BCE. The sculpture portrays...

The Bust of Pythagoras is a marble portrait sculpture housed in the Capitoline Museums in Rome, traditionally identified as the Greek mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras. The artwork is a Roman-era copy of a presumed Greek original, as no securely authenticated contemporary likenesses of the ph...