Johann Joachim Winckelmann not only idealized Greek Classical art, but also the whole ancient Classical Greek world in a way that went well beyond what could be envisaged as historical knowledge. His influence on the history of contemporary literature and on classical scholarship, however, is not an obvious topic to scrutinize, since he was almost exclusively preoccupied with visual artistic creation, and in particular sculpture. Winckelmann is indeed considered as a pioneer figure for art history and archaeology, but his influence on literary scholars is less well studied, although Rudolf Pfeiffer, in his 1976 book on the history of Classical scholarship, had already clearly acknowledged it: ‘Winckelmann’s ideas and writing were decisive for the future of classical scholarship.’