The study of
Roman sculpture is complicated by its relation to
Greek sculpture. Many examples of even the most famous Greek sculptures, such as the
Apollo Belvedere and
Barberini Faun, are known only from
Roman Imperial or
Hellenistic "copies." At one time, this imitation was taken by
art historians as indicating a narrowness of the Roman artistic imagination, but in the late 20th-century, Roman art began to be reevaluated on its own terms: some impressions of the nature of Greek sculpture may in fact be based on Roman artistry.