Hermes of Praxiteles is an ancient Greek statue of Hermes, the messenger of the gods in Greek mythology. The Athenian sculptor Praxiteles created the masterpiece, probably in the 330’s B.C. (see Praxiteles ). Although the original statue was lost, a copy exists that was created about 100 B.C., probably by the Greek sculptor Pasiteles. The copy has beauty and charm and possesses the dreamy expression and the graceful “S” curve of the body that are characteristic of Praxiteles’s style. The statue portrays Hermes holding his infant brother, Dionysus, on one arm. In the other arm, which is now missing, Hermes held a bunch of grapes that he offered to the infant.
