Many of the original ancient Greek sculptures, often made of bronze, have not survived. However, thanks to the Roman copyists, today we can know those masterpieces: they made marble copies of famous statues, bringing them from Athens to Rome or reproducing them directly on commission.

The copyists also made scaled-down variants of famous statues, for the decoration of patrician villas, gardens, and temples. These replicas became status symbols and means to display culture and refinement.