Statue of a boy

During the 4th c. BC, sculpture gradually moved away from the idealized models of Early Classical art and turned towards realism, that is, the portrayal of figures with individualized features and an attempt to convey the inner psychological state (ethos) of the subject. In fact, towards the end of the century – which marks the beginning of the Hellenistic period (323 BC), a new trend developed for images from private life in the city and the countryside.

Such images aimed at showing man not at an exceptional moment or in death – as was the case in early Classical art – but in simple everyday situations.

During the same period, sculptors showed special interest in representing the child, which had hitherto been only a complementary subject in Greek art. Statues of this type, of both boys and girls, are found as offerings in the sanctuary of Artemis in Brauron.