There’s something eternally fascinating about the art of sculpture, more so when it depicts the human form. Michelangelo, for example, lived and created more than 500 years ago, yet we still marvel at the level of mastery and beauty that he was able to accomplish.
Recently, a Twitter (X) user James Lucas shared some interesting details in sculptures that people sometimes might overlook. For example, did you know that Michelangelo’s David has heart-shaped pupils? Scroll down and find more fascinating details about the most famous sculptures in art history!
Bored Panda reached out to the author of this thread, James Lucas. He kindly agreed to tell us more about where he got the inspiration and knowledge about these interesting facts. Read our short conversation with him below!
More info: Twitter (X) | Substack
#1 Chauncey Bradley Ives Turned Stone Into Wet Silk In “Undine Rising From The Waters” (1880)
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#2 Giovanni Strazza’s Ability To Make Stone Translucent In His Bust Of The Virgin Mary
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#3 In Canova’s Timeless Masterpiece, The Wings Of Cupid Are So Delicately Thin That When Sunlight Touches Them They Shimmer With A Gentle Peach Glow
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#4 Marble Turned Into Lace
Giuliano Finelli’s bust of Maria Duglioli Barberini (1626)
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#5 This Intricate Net Was Carved From A Single Block Of Marble By Francesco Queirolo. It Took Him 7 Years
No apprentice would touch the sculpture for fear of the delicate net crumbling in their hands.
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#6 The Mind-Boggling Detail Of Michelangelo’s Moses
There is a tiny contracted muscle in the forearm, which only contracts when the little finger is raised. Moses is lifting the pinky, therefore that tiny muscle is contracted.
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#7 Water Flowing Over Toes
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#8 This Is Not A Cotton Yarn. This Is A Mind-Blowing Marble Sculpture By The Greek Artist Argiris Rallias
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#9 Bernini Turned Stone Into Flesh
The legendary Italian sculptor was only 23 years old when he completed “The Abduction of Proserpina”.
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#10 The Marble Veil In Giuseppe Sanmartino’s Masterpiece Is So Astonishingly Lifelike That The Artist Was Accused Of Using Alchemy To Turn Fabric Into Stone
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#11 The “Veiled Truth” By Antonio Corradini
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#12 The Fall Of The Rebel Angels, A 168 Cm (5″6′) Statue With More Than Sixty Figures Carved From A Single Block Of Marble By Agostino Fasolato
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#13 Marble Skin
The superb artistry of Jago, one of Italy’s most accomplished contemporary artists, is evident in this “Ajax & Cassandra” stunning hand detail.
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#14 Stunning Detail Of “Ugolino And His Sons” By Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#15 The Handkerchief Detail Of The Duc De Montausier’s Marble Statue
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#16 Michelangelo’s David Right Hand
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#17 Perseus And The Hidden Self-Portrait Of Benvenuto Cellini
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#18 This Statue By Marco D’agrate Depicts Saint Bartholomew, An Early Christian Martyr Who Was Skinned Alive
If you look closely, you’ll notice that’s not a robe that he’s holding. It’s actually his dissected skin.
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#19 The “Veiled Lady” By Raffaele Monti
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#20 Amazing Drapery Detail On “The West Wind” By American 19th-Century Sculptor Thomas Ridgeway Gould
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#21 This Is Not A Real Mattress. This Is A Marble Mattress Sculpted By Gian Lorenzo Bernini For The “Sleeping Hermaphroditus”
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#22 The Hands Of Daphne Transforming Into Branches In “Apollo And Daphne” By Bernini
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#23 Michelangelo’s Pieta, Arm Detail. Buonarroti Completed This Masterpiece When He Was Just 24 Years Old
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#24 Over 100 Years Before Medical Science Described The Circulatory System, Michelangelo Perfectly Sculpted The Jugular Vein In His Statue Of David
This trait is anatomically accurate: the biblical hero is in a state of excitement, as he prepares to face Goliath.
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#25 Emperor Lucius Verus’ Beard
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#26 The Level Of Detail In Håkon Anton Fagerås’ Marble Pillows
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#27 The “Reading Girl” By Pietro Magni
If you look closely at this sculpture, you’ll notice a solitary tear gracefully rolling down the young reader’s left cheek. It shows how much the story in the book has affected her.
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#28 The Piercing Glass Eyes Of The “Antikythera Ephebe”, Unknown Greek Sculptor (C.330 Bc)
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#29 Michelangelo’s David Has Heart-Shaped Pupils
Sculptures often have a slit in the pupils, adding depth or symbolizing the reflection of light. However, in David’s case, his eyes possess distinctly heart-shaped pupils.
Image source: JamesLucasIT
#30 The Veins On David’s Right Hand
Image source: JamesLucasIT
Follow Us
