Praxiteles

Venus Braschi, a Roman variant of the Knidian Aphrodite, Munich Glyptothek

Praxiteles was the most famous of the sculptors of the 4th century BC. He was the first to sculpt the nude female form in a life-size statue. While no sculpture by Praxiteles is extant, numerous copies of his works have survived. Several authors, including Pliny the Elder, wrote of his works. Coins engraved with silhouettes of his various famous statuary types from the period still exist. His works include Hermes and the Infant Dionysus.