Hellenistic Sculpture

Marble Statue of an Old Woman was originally thought to be a Greek statue, but it was actually likely sculpted during the Hellenistic era, after the death of Alexander the Great, when Greek culture was being spread throughout Europe. During the Hellenistic era social and political changes were pushing artists to depict life in its more realistic forms, instead of the idealized portrayals of the human figure that dominated the number of sculpted artworks at the time. These more "realistic" forms included depicting strong emotion, people with a variety of body types, and people in different stages of life, for example here, an old woman. Originally, Metropolitan Museum of Art commented on the unusual portrayal of an old woman as an example of Greek sculpture, however this depiction would be quite standard for the Hellenistic era. The Greeks were obsessed with youth, so there was certainly nothing idealized about the Old Market Woman. The Metropolitan Museum of Art now indicates that this Hellenistic piece is a copy of a Greek work, and that it was sculpted between A.D. 14 and A.D. 68. Marble Statue of an Old Woman can continue to serve as a primary example of Hellenistic art, despite questions about its creation and meaning.

References:

Picón Carlos A., and Hemingway Seán. Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient World. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2016.