Sculpture exists in three dimensions; a visual art that invites a tactile response. The earliest undisputed examples of sculpture date from the beginning of the Upper Paleolithic—small portable figures made of bone or ivory. Of course sculptures were made all over the world, and would involve animals, deities, human and semi-human figures. They would become increasingly detailed and finely carved and be mad from limestone, alabaster, terracotta. Bas Relief sculptures in cylinder or tablet form told complex narrative tales that gave us an insight into the lives and beliefs of early civilizations.

The first distinctive style of sculpture that would become what we associate with classical Greece occurred in the early Bronze Age or the 3rd Century BCE. Figures were small, compact and elegant, and made of marble. A subsequent stage of bronze sculptures yields few remaining specimens, as bronze was always coveted as scrap metal. The actual “High Classical” period only lasted a few decades, from 450 – 400, but it remains hugely influential on the history of art. With early Christianity came a disapproval of monumental figures, and we mostly saw small icons and architectural items. The renaissance, particularly in Italy, saw a return to monumental sculptures inspired by classical methods, and include the works of Michelangelo—David, Pieta, and Moses—all carved in Marble.