Most ancient Greek bronze statues have not survived to the current era. They have been lost or melted down for their precious metal to be reused. Knowledge of these artworks comes mainly from Roman-era marble copies. A rare extant piece is a bronze statue of “Artemis and a Deer,” circa 1st century B.C. to A.D. 1st century.
Prized for its art historical value, the sculpture attracted media attention when it was controversially sold by its owner, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, now called Buffalo AKG Art Museum. Shattering the then-record for a sculpture at auction, it is now on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
