Hermes and the Infant Dionysus (5th Centery B.C.)

Praxiteles' popularity as a sculptor soared between the years 364 and 361 B.C. Praxiteles was seen as one of the greatest sculptors of the Greek Classical period. Working primarily in marble, Praxiteles' sculptures were in high demand after the end of the Peloponnesian War and the Greek aristocracy was once again able to afford fine works of art.

Mythology, with its pantheon of gods, was the religion of the Greeks and the subject of choice for most classical artists including Praxiteles. One characteristic of his work was in the achievement of a anatomically correct and natural representation of the human form. This was in part accomplished by showing the principle of weight shift in a figure, as well as the development of the controposto stance. By employing the latter the figure's spine was slightly curved to form an S curve thereby giving it a more natural and "human" appearance.

Another trait of Praxiteles, along with many of the other classical artists of the period, was the calm, restrained, and often serene demeanor of the figures. This calmness would anticipate the next stage of development in Greek art: the dramatic and tense Hellenistic period. Praxiteles was luckily able to experience his fame and enjoy his wealth in his own
lifetime. The next few generations of his family would become one of the richest in Athens.