It is not known who created this plaster bust of Aristotle, although it is possible that the college purchased the piece from Brucciani & Co. or a similar company in the second half of the nineteenth century.
Aristotle (384 - 322 BC.)
Aristotle was born the son of a physician in Stagirus, Greece circa 384 BC. His parents died while he was still young and he was subsequently brought up by Prozzenus, the court physician of Amyntas II of Macedonia. At around eighteen years old Aristotle was sent to study at Plato’s Academy in Athens. Here he became both Plato’s best pupil and his friend. During his twenty years in Athens Aristotle’s most notable work was De anima (On the Soul).
Following the death of Plato Aristotle spent periods in both Mysia and on the island of Lesbos before becoming the tutor to Alexander the Great at Pella from 343 BC. until 340 BC. when Alexander became regent. After the assassination of Philip in 335 BC. Aristotle returned to Athens where he founded the Lyceum, which would become the greatest competitor of Plato’s Academy. At the Lyceum Aristotle amassed collections of biological specimines, manuscripts and maps which he used to illustrate his lectures. It was here that Aristotle also perfected his scientific method which involved the examination of specimens and establishing logical systems of substantiation before any conclusion could be asserted, and even then the conclusion must be tentative.