Sculpture

Introduction
Elements and principles of sculptural design
- Elements of design
- Principles of design
- Relationships to other arts
Materials
- Primary
- Other materials
Methods and techniques
- The sculptor as designer and as craftsman
  - General methods
  - Carving
    - Indirect carving
    - Carving tools and techniques
  - Modeling
    - Modeling for casting
    - Modeling for pottery sculpture
    - General characteristics of modeled sculpture
  - Constructing and assembling
  - Direct metal sculpture
- Reproduction and surface-finishing techniques
  - Casting and molding
  - Pointing
  - Surface finishing
    - Smoothing and polishing
    - Painting
    - Gilding
    - Patination
    - Electroplating
    - Other finishes
- Forms, subject matter, imagery, and symbolism of sculpture
  - Sculpture in the round
  - Relief sculpture
  - Modern forms of sculpture
  - Representational sculpture
    - The human figure
    - Devotional images and narrative sculpture
    - Portraiture
    - Scenes of everyday life
    - Animals
    - Fantasy
    - Other subjects
  - Nonrepresentational sculpture
  - Applied sculpture
  - Symbolism
- Uses of sculpture

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

Kara Walker: A Subtlety, or the Marvelous Sugar Baby

Constantin Brancusi: Torso of a Young Girl

The Family of Man sculpture by Barbara Hepworth, featuring abstract bronze geometric forms with circular openings, stands on grass with tall field grass and sky in the background.

The marble statue of David by Michelangelo stands in a domed gallery in Florence, Italy, depicting a nude male figure in a contrapposto pose.

Power Figure (Nkisi N'Kondi: Mangaaka)

Victory stele of Naram-Sin

Auguste Rodin: The Kiss

Side view of Auguste Rodin's marble sculpture The Kiss, showing two nude figures embracing and seated on a rough stone base.

Praxiteles: Hermes Carrying the Infant Dionysus

Gian Lorenzo Bernini: The Ecstasy of St. Teresa

At a Glance

Side view of Auguste Rodin's marble sculpture The Kiss, showing two nude figures embracing and seated on a rough stone base.

sculpture summary

Related Questions

Kara Walker: A Subtlety, or the Marvelous Sugar Baby — Kara Walker: A Subtlety, or the Marvelous Sugar Baby Visitors viewing A Subtlety, or the Marvelous Sugar Baby, a sugar-coated polystyrene sculpture by Kara Walker, 2014, part of a temporary installation at the former Domino Sugar Refinery in Brooklyn, New York.

Sculpture

artistic form

Written by

Leonard R. Rogers

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 9, 2026 •History

Sculpture, an artistic form in which hard or plastic materials are worked into three-dimensional art objects. The designs may be embodied in freestanding objects, in reliefs on surfaces, or in environments ranging from tableaux to contexts that envelop the spectator. An enormous variety of media may be used, including clay, wax, stone, metal, fabric, glass, wood, plaster, rubber, and random “found” objects. Materials may be carved, modeled, molded, cast, wrought, welded, sewn, assembled, or otherwise...

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