The Art of Praxiteles

Book excerpt: Praxiteles is one of the most famous sculptors from ancient Greece. This study looks at both his personal background and the activities of his workshop. Chapters are devoted to placing Praxiteles in the artistic context of the period, alongside his rivals, before Corso examines his birth, family, early life and education. Subsequent chapters look at the work of Praxiteles in the workshop of Cephisodotus the Elder in the late 4th century and the art he created then, before turning to Praxiteles' own workshop and the now famous collection of works that he produced: The kidnapping of Persephone, Persephone descending to the Underworld, The Caryatids, the Maenads, and the bronze statues of Dionysus and Eros, to name just a few.