There were a large number of sculptors at work during the 4th century B.C. Most of them were at Athens for some length of time, either as apprentices or as craftsmen, but all of them travelled far and wide, working - especially during the latter half of the century - in the Peloponnese, in Asia Minor, and at the Macedonian court.

One of the first of the fourth-century sculptors was Praxiteles' father, Cephisodotus, from Athens. His chef d'oeuvre was a statue of Peace with Wealth. Praxiteles himself far outstripped his father in technique, with his willowy, youthful figures full of sweetness and feminine charm, their faces typically delicate and pensive. Praxiteles was the first sculptor to portray the goddess Aphrodite naked (which he did for Knidos). This established a precedent for the female nude which was to last into Roman times. His major sculptures included the Andros Hermes; the Hermes and Dionysus at Olympia; the Horny Satyr; Apollo Slaying the Lizard; and the Arles Aphrodite. The Marathon ephebe and the small and large versions of the 'Woman from Heraclea' have also been thought to be from Praxiteles' workshop.


The statue of Apollo Patroos in the temple in the Agora was sculpted by Euphranor from Athens. Also generally thought to be by Euphranor are the bronzes of Artemis and Athena from the Piraeus, and the celebrated Anticythera ephebe, in all probability a portrayal of Paris. Timotheus (who was from either Epidaurus or Argos) and Scopas (from Paros) are best known for their architectural sculptures at Epidaurus and Tegea. To Timotheus is attributed a sculpture of Leda and the Swan, and to Scopas the torso of a Maenad in bacchic frenzy. Scopas is important for two reasons: his mastery of three-dimensional space and the superb rendering of pathos (emotion) in his figures. Other works attributed to him are the statues of Eros, Longing (Pothos) and Desire (Imeros) that he made for the city of Megara.

Both Timotheus and Scopas took part in the embellishment of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, as did Leochares (from Athens) and Bryaxis (either from Athens or Caria). One of Leochares' most famous works was the bronze group of Zeus as Eagle with Ganymede. Leochares also sculpted no less than five gold-and-ivory statues for the Philippeum at Olympia; the Versailles Artemis, the Belvedere Apollo; and, at Delphi, the contest (syntagma) of Alexander and Crateros. Bryaxis is credited with the statues of Mausolus and Artemisia and (less certainly) with a colossal cult statue of Sarapis.

The end of Classical sculpture, which is also the dawn of Hellenistic sculpture, is represented by Leochares and by Lysippus, from Sicyon. Lysippus' figures carry Scopas' achievements to their logical conclusion, expanding into the three dimensions and giving the onlooker a larger number of aesthetically complete faces. They are lanky, supple, muscular and relatively small-headed. Lysippus was famous for his portraits - he was the only person whom Alexander the Great trusted to do a portrait of him. The most celebrated of his works are the Apoxyomenos; 'Agias', in the Daochus group at Delphi; the Farnese Herakles and the Ludovisi Ares. His sculpture 'Love the Archer' was the first work in which the characteristics of a child were represented realistically.


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