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.
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
Digby Antiques (Wiltshire)
Miniature Cold Painted Austrian Bronze Horse with Rider
£ 130
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
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
Robert Belcher Antiques
Bergman, Franz, Cold Painted Bronze Sculpture of a Arab, Austrian c.1900
£ 2,650
Bergman, Franz, Cold Painted Bronze Sculpture of a Arab, Austrian c.1900
£ 2,650
Robert Belcher Antiques
£ 12,500
Impressive Sculpture of Christ Carrying the Cross on His Way to Calvary Circa 1560
£ 12,500
Koos Limburg Jnr
Andrew Cox Antiques
A Superb Early 20th Century Bronze Ballerina Figure by H. Fugère
£ 310
£ 1,250
Trade Antiques
Large Metal Table Lamp Stamped L and F Moreau
£ 885
Robert Belcher Antiques
19th Century Simulated Stone Plaster Bust of a Medieval Man
£ 925
London City Antiques
Large Antique Chinese Quality Carved Hardwood Figure
£ 885
Celia Rose Antiques
14" Signed Meiji Period Japanese Bronze Mother & Child
£ 385
Newark Antiques and Interiors Ltd
Bronze Ballerina Garden Statue After Milo
£ 4,375
£ 495
Antique Female Figure, French, Plaster Statuette, Ornament, Victorian, Classical
£ 495
London Fine Ltd
Marylebone Antiques
Antique French Bronze Sculpture
£ 1,650
Town House Traders Ltd
Inuit Carved Serpentine Sculpture Figure by Ohito Ashoona
£ 250
Robert Belcher Antiques
A Chinese Hand Carved Hardstone Agate Figure Group
£ 1,395
Knight Fine Antiques & Collectables
19th Century Hardwood Chinese Deity Zhong Kui Sculpture
£ 150
19th Century Hardwood Chinese Deity Zhong Kui Sculpture
£ 150
Knight Fine Antiques & Collectables
Vintage Garden UK
Set Three Large Garden Cherubs on Plinths
£ 2,400
Marylebone Antiques
Pair of Antique Chinese Carved Wood Foo Dog Statues
£ 2,950
JMR Antiques Ltd
19th C Bronze Sculpture by A D Delafontaine
£ 1,895
D and A Binder LTD
Small Articulated Artist Lay Figure
£ 192
Applecross Antiques
Pair of Victorian Staffordshire Figures of Goatherds
£ 395
Elite Antiques
Stunning Goldscheider Figure c.1900
£ 595
Trade Antiques
Carved Saint 5ft Italian Original Paint 1830
£ 22,500
Mundella Antiques LTD
Continental Carved Oak Figures 19th Century
£ 450