Stone Sculptures

Stone sculpture is one of the oldest art forms in the world. Stone can be worked in every imaginable size and shape and has many sub-categories (granite, diorite, basalt, alabaster and marble, to name a few). Here you will find KAZoART's selection of contemporary stone sculptures, all created by our numerous accomplished artists. Give your home interiors some old school charm with the help of our stone sculptures! 

Stone sculpture in Art History

The first known stone sculptures date from prehistoric times. Around 30,000 BC, numerous votive figures of Venus were created. Then came the Egyptians who created monumental stone sculptures, the most famous being the Great Sphinx of Egypt, made entirely of limestone. Among the Greeks, Praxiteles is perhaps one of the most famous sculptors. The Romans also knew how to use stone sculpture, especially for political purposes, the most famous of which is the Winged Victory of Samothrace which currently resides in the Louvre museum.

During the Renaissance, stone carving was a technique favored by many artists such as Michelangelo, Bernini, Da Vinci, Donatello and Cellini. The tradition continued well into the 18th and 19th centuries with Auguste Rodin, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, Constantin Brancusi and Edgar Degas. 

Finally, sculptures made of stone began to diversify in the 20th and 21st centuries. Less figurative, it can be observed through the work of André Derain, Jacques Lipchitz, Paul Landowski, Jean Arp, Alberto Giacometti, Antony Gormley and Anish Kapoor.

Sculptures made of stone: definition and techniques

Stone is a favorite material amongst sculptors due to its malleability. Indeed, it is generally rather easy to carve. To begin the process, excess material is removed with a chisel, then the stone is sanded down to remove rough edges and surfaces. Once the artist has the general shape of the carving, he marks the specific areas that need to be worked with charcoal or a pencil in order to better refine it the surface of the stone.