Humans appear to be the only species interested in representing themselves in Art. The earliest known figurative sculpture found so far dates back over 35,000 years and since then we have never stopped recreating models of ourselves out of other materials. It is of course amazing how one basic body form can create an endless array of poses and positions, each uniquely suggestive of the person’s mood and personality. The most common materials for figural work are bronze, wood and stone, with each creating very different effects.
While competence alone can create an accurate representation of the body in sculptural form, it takes a true artist to give the piece a sense of presence and life. The most famous including Michelangelo, Degas, Rodin, Moore and others recognised this. In Europe the Renaissance allowed sculptors to consider the sense of allegory and movement in the frozen moment and also how to manipulate the finish to help suit that mood. Therefore, when looking at a great sculpture you are not just seeing the physical likeness of someone, but often a glimpse into their personality as well. If the 19th Century was all about recreating energy-charged classical pieces, by the 20th Century allegory was replaced with tenderness, humour and abstraction, capturing and portraying more personal moments.
At LoveAntiques we have a fine selection of Antique and Vintage sculptures from knowledgeable dealers across the UK and beyond.
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
Set Three Bronze Items of Buddist Art
£ 1,000
Unique Antiques By Emma Jade
Superb Quality Large Antique Carved Hardwood Chinese Figure
£ 1,085
Superb Quality Large Antique Carved Hardwood Chinese Figure
£ 1,085
Unique Antiques By Emma Jade
Antique & Modern Living
A Bronze Statue By Elizabeth Anna Clapp
£ 975
Athey Antiques
Large Classical Female Bust
£ 450
£ 165
Antiques & Chic
Antique Bronzed Spelter Duke of Wellington on Horseback
£ 395
Antiques & Chic
Bronze Napoleonic Soldier on Horseback - Huge in Size
£ 645
£ 575
Small Antique Farm Girl Figure, French, Bronze, Statuette, Provincial c.1920
£ 575
London Fine Ltd
Treehouse Antiques
Carved Black Forest Bear Hallstand
£ 6,250
Carradale Farm Antiques Ltd
19th Century Lead Statue of Young Child
£ 480
£ 1,675
Antique & Modern Living
Art Deco Bronze Figure by Fernand Ouillon-Carrère
£ 4,250
London City Antiques
Fine Pair of Antique Victorian Carved Ebonised Figures
£ 2,495
£ 350
£ 395
£ 1,900
Elmgarden
Art Deco Fan Dancer, Brass Statue
£ 250
Antique & Modern Living
'The Sluggard' by Frederic Lord Leighton (1830-1896)
£ 1,450
Antique & Modern Living
Bronze Figure of Flute Player by E. Piron
£ 725
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
Austrian Art Deco Sculpture Dancing Lady Elegant Legs by Lorenzl
£ 5,000
Austrian Art Deco Sculpture Dancing Lady Elegant Legs by Lorenzl
£ 5,000
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
£ 2,200
Newark Antiques and Interiors Ltd
Ermanno Nason Female Glass Sculpture
£ 440
Loveday Antiques
19th Century French Borghese Gladiator Bronze of Large Scale
£ 3,450
Alain Michel Antiques
Virgin & Child in Walnut - 17th Century From France
€ 2,400
London City Antiques
Unusual Pair of Antique Victorian Quality Carved Oak Figures
£ 685
Antique & Modern Living
Bronze by Eugène Désiré Piron (French, 1875-1928)
£ 725
Robert Pagden Antiques
Vintage Christmas Santa Claus Advertising Shop Figure
£ 295
Country House and Eastern Interiors
Copper Alloy Figure of Standing Buddha - Java 10th-12th Century
£ 1,750
Copper Alloy Figure of Standing Buddha - Java 10th-12th Century
£ 1,750
Country House and Eastern Interiors
London City Antiques
Spectacular Pair of Large Antique Quality Orientalist Polychromed Plaster Arabesque or Moorish Figures
£ 4,850
Spectacular Pair of Large Antique Quality Orientalist Polychromed Plaster Arabesque or Moorish Figures
£ 4,850
London City Antiques
Country House and Eastern Interiors
Museum Javanese Gold Gilded Standing Dewi Tara Statuette
£ 1,995
Museum Javanese Gold Gilded Standing Dewi Tara Statuette
£ 1,995
Country House and Eastern Interiors
Robert Belcher Antiques
19th Century Bronze Study of Egptian Man & Mule by A E Dubucan, French
£ 2,150
19th Century Bronze Study of Egptian Man & Mule by A E Dubucan, French
£ 2,150
Robert Belcher Antiques
Robert Belcher Antiques
Pair of 19th Century Mansion House Dwarfs
£ 895
Campbell Vintage
Terracotta Sculpture of Female Form by Sophie Howard
£ 580
Sovereign Antiques
Grand Tour Marble Figure c.1750
£ 7,000
Wick Antiques Ltd
An Italian Bronze Equestrian Sculpture of Emanuele Filiberto, Duke of Savoia, by Baron Carlo Marochetti
£ 38,000
An Italian Bronze Equestrian Sculpture of Emanuele Filiberto, Duke of Savoia, by Baron Carlo Marochetti
£ 38,000
Wick Antiques Ltd
Koos Limburg Jnr
18th Century Wooden Sculpture / Holy Water Font
£ 2,750
Newark Antiques and Interiors Ltd
Pair of 18th Century Derby Figures
£ 410
Robert Belcher Antiques
A Large Black Forest Carved Limewood Study of a Monk Circa 1900
£ 1,295
A Large Black Forest Carved Limewood Study of a Monk Circa 1900
£ 1,295
Robert Belcher Antiques
£ 5,950
£ 1,275