Top 10 Most Popular Sculptures around the World

There are many great artists who have presented incredible pieces of art to humanity, across the centuries. Among those, one incredible thing is the skill of sculpting. In this article, we are enlisting top 10 most popular sculptures around the world which have mesmerized a huge number of fans worldwide. Scroll down to take a look on our finest collection of sculptures.

1. David

If you have any knowledge of sculpture, you must be expecting David on top of this list. Crafted between 1501 and 1504, it is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture. The creator of this sculpture is famous Italian artist Michelangelo, a name which does not need any introduction. David is a 17ft marble statue depicting a standing male nude. It represents David, the Biblical hero and a favorite subject in Florence’s art. Originally selected as one of a sequence to be located high up on the Florence Cathedral’s frontage, the sculpture was rather positioned outside the Palazzo Della Signoria in a public square, which is Florence civic government’s seat. It was revealed on September 8, 1504. Due to the nature of hero it signified, soon it came to represent the defense of civil autonomies personified in the Florentine Republic, an autonomous city-state vulnerable on all borders by more influential opponent states and by the supremacy of the Medici family. David’s eyes, with a warning stare, were turned in the direction of Rome. In 1873, the effigy was relocated to the Academia Gallery in Florence, and later substituted at the original position by a replica.

2. Venus de Milo

The Venus de Milo sculpture was crafted between 100 and 130 B.C. It is said that the statue represent Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of beauty and love. Romans recognize it as Venus. This remarkable marble sculpture is slightly bigger than life of size 6ft 8 in. Its original plinth and arms have been lost. From a writing that was engraved on its plinth, it is considered to be the art of Alexandros of Antioch. Earlier, it was incorrectly credited to the famous sculptor Praxiteles. Venus de Milo stands humbly in Paris at the Louvre Museum. Astonishingly, the sculpture was discovered by chance in a farmer’s field.

3. The Thinker

From the famous sculptor Auguste Rodin, “The Thinker” is a real masterpiece of art. It is originally called “The Poet”. “The Thinker” was commissioned by the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, in order to form an enormous gateway to serve as the museum door. Rodin grounded his subject on The Divine Comedy of Dante and titled the gateway The Gates of Hell. Every statue in the portion signified one of the key characters in the classic poem. Originally, The Thinker was destined to display Dante in front of the Gates of Hell, meditating his great poem. In the concluding sculpture, a minuscule statue lies above the gates, thinking the hellish fortune of those underneath him. The statue is unclothed, as Rodin desired a heroic symbol in the practice of Michelangelo, to signify intellect along with the poetry.

4. Pieta

Number 4 on our list is another marvelous creation by Michelangelo, the Pieta. It represents the Virgin Mary carrying Jesus Christ, her only son, in her arms. Before carving the Pieta, Michelangelo was not a well-recognized name. He just crossed his teenage in 1498, when he was directed to create a life sized statue of the Virgin Mary carrying her son. Using a single marble slab, from a single slab of marble, Michelangelo shaped this beautiful sculpture in 2 years. It is supposed to be his most beautiful figurines ever.

5. Lady Justice

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The sculpture of Lady Justice is among the world’s greatest recognized sculptures. Interestingly, it is credited to any single artist, but still you can see it adorning numerous courthouses around the globe. This is the fact behind the popularity of this sculpture. This statue is known by many different names, like Blind Justice and Scales of Justice but the most widely known name is Lady Justice. The sculpture dates back to ancient Roman and Greek times as the Goddess of law and justice.

6. Hermes and The Infant Dionysus

This statue is also recognized as the Hermes of Olympus or the Hermes of Praxiteles, is an antique Greek statue of Hermes and the infant Dionysus, revealed in 1877, in the wrecks of Temple of Hera located in Olympia. You can see it at Olympia’s Archaeological Museum. It dates back to the 4th century BC and attributed to Praxiteles, centered on a comment by the second century Greek tourist Pausanias. It has contributed a lot towards the characterization of Praxitelean style. However, Its attribution is not sure and objects to severe disagreement among art historians. The sculpture is doubtful to be connected with Praxiteles’ popular art-works, because no ancient facsimiles of it are ever found.

7. The Kiss

Number 7 on our list is again Auguste Rodin’s The Kiss. The French sculptor made this marble sculpture in 1889. There is an interesting story attached to this sculpture. It portrays an Italian noblewoman of 13th-century eternalized in Dante’s Inferno, who starts loving younger brother (Paolo) of her husband. Falling in love while reading the story of Guinevere and Lancelot, Francesca’s husband discovered and killed the couple. In the statue, you can see the book in Paolo’s hand. The lips of lovers are not actually touching each other’s in order to depict the interruption. The poor lovers met their demise without kissing each other. In 1887 when critics 1st discovered the sculpture, they proposed the less precise name Le Baiser (The Kiss).

8. The Discus Thrower

The Discobolus or the Discus Thrower is a popular lost Greek bronze sculpture. The original sculpture is still unidentified. The Discobolus was finalized till the end of a long period (460-450 BC). Its various Roman copies have been found, full-scale in marble, like the 1st copy recovered was the Palombara Discopolus, other many smaller scaled bronze replicas are found. As per the tradition of Greek athletics, The Discobolus is completely stripped.

9. Savannah Bird Girl

This sculpture is recognized as the Bird Girl. It was created by sculptress Sylvia Shaw in 1936 in Lake Forest. The sculpture reached the heights of popularity when it was presented on the cover of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, a 1994 novel. It was carved at Ragdale, her family’s summer home. Bird Girl is made in bronze and it stands 50 inches tall. It depicts a young girl in a simple dress having contemplative or sad expression, while her head is sloped to the left. While standing straight, her elbows upheld against her waist holding up 2 bowls. The bowls are frequently labeled by spectators as “bird feeders.”

10. Bronze David

The last on our list is the one which was 1st on the same list. But this time, Donatello is behing the creation of this Bronze David. He made it in 1440. It is among the most popular sculptures of present time. It is distinguished as the 1st unsupported standing art work in bronze created in Renaissance era, and the 1st freestanding unclothed male statue. It portrays the young David wearing a mysterious smile, posed by placing his foot on severed head of Goliath just subsequent to his murder. Carrying the Goliath’s sword, wearing hat and boots, the statue is uncovered. The date of its creation is not yet sure.