Art and designSculpture

What is sculpture?

It can be worshipped and respected

It can be made of any material

It can be in open, public places

It can be very private

It is always in some way 3D

It can be smashed up

It can be added to over time

It can be made by carving, moulding, casting, construction and lots more methods

It can be made by an individual or a group

It does not have to be still

It can fit in your pocket or be visible from far off

It can be figurative or abstract

Painted limestone statue of NenkheftkaFrom Deshasha, EgyptAbout 2400 BC

Bronze statuette of HermesFrom Italy; Greek styleAbout 150 BC

Ivory netsuke (clothing toggle)JapanEdo period, 18th-19th centuryHeight: 4.5cm

Fragment of granite statue of Ramesses IIFrom Thebes, Egypt,About 1250 BCHeight of fragment: 2.7m

Hoa Hakananai'aEaster Island (Rapa Nui), PolynesiaAbout AD 1000

Wax sculpture of Laocoön and his sonsModel of ancient Roman marble sculptureLate 17th century

Figure for Malangan ceremonies – intended to be used and then destroyedMade of wood, vegetable fibre, pigment and shell From New Ireland, Papua New Guinea1882-3

Nkisi figureMade of wood with added nails, iron blades, relicsKongo, Democratic Republic of CongoLate 19th century

Figure of a Buddhist monkMade of stoneware (ceramic)From Henan province, northern ChinaMing dynasty, AD 1486

Seated figure of the god MictlantecuhtliMade of sandstoneMexica/Aztec; from Mexico1325-1521

The Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II at a banquetMade of limestoneFrom the king’s palace at Nimrud, northern Iraq865-860 BC

Greeks fighting AmazonsMade of marbleFrom the temple of Apollo at Bassai, Greece420-400 BC

Day of the Dead figuresMade of wool, textile, paperpolystyrene, papier mâché, caneMade by Pablo Morales (Linares Family Workshop)Mexico; 1980s

Kachina dollMade of painted cottonwood and corn cobMade by Derrick Davis, Hopi people, Arizona, USA1996

Visit the main Museum websitewww.britishmuseum.org

Explore contains over 4000 highlight objects from the Museum’s collection.You can use Explore to search for more containers.www.britishmuseum.org/explore/explore_introduction.aspx