Aristotle Bust / Portrait Sculpture—originating from an early Hellenistic original, most extant versions are marble replicas from the Roman period. Numerous later tributes have also been created over the centuries, making this work a quintessential exemplar of Western classical portraiture.

Original Prototype and Origins

The widely accepted original portrait was commissioned around 330 BCE by Lysippos, one of ancient Greece’s greatest sculptors, for the Macedonian court—though the bronze original has since been lost. It is said to have been created at the behest of Alexander the Great. During the Roman Empire—particularly under the Antonine dynasty in the 2nd century—countless marble replicas were produced to meet the demand for portraits of illustrious figures in both private residences and public architecture.