There are many different types of antiques and one very popular form of antiques for collecting is sculpture. Sculptures are defined in many different ways and can be made from a huge variety of properties including marble, wood, metal, precious metal and ivory to name just a few. The fascination for sculpture and statues began in ancient Egypt where the Egyptians were famous for elaborate carvings and mouldings usually consisting of metals such as Gold and with precious stones and jewellery embedded into them.
These while being some of the most beautiful sculptures in history and of course are classed as priceless are beyond the means of most collectors in both terms of cost and the amount of room needed to store them and the speciality care they need. Sculptures today are often somewhat smaller that those of ancient Egypt though nonetheless beautiful to those who own and treasure them.
In India they preferred honing sculptures from massive rocks which would often take months and even years to reach their intended form. Stone sculptures were often seen to feature in religion such as Buddhism, featuring huge stone effigies carved to resemble the Buddha. Even today collectors collect forms of the Buddha and these types of sculpture are often seen in antique stores in Thailand, China and Japan where they can fetch remarkable sums of money.
The Romans preferred marble for their sculptures and these are still seen today throughout the city of Rome with bronze being another firm favourite. Even today these are still evident in the towns and cities and of course one of the preferred types of sculpture is the bust which is found in many small antique and specialist shops.
Ivory was another firm favourite for sculptures ranging from the big to the minute, although ivory is somewhat frowned upon now there are still avid collectors of ivory sculpture and pieces and collections are commonly sold on the streets of India. Ivory was once a very valuable and prized possession to have in some countries and this was not only due to its beauty, but also that ivory was said to bring good luck.
Sculptures today can be made from just about anything and of course beauty is said to be in the eye of the beholder. A large and bold statement can be made by placing a single antique sculpture in a prominent position within the home and of course some of them go for thousands of pounds when they are put up at auction houses. Touring auction houses is a very popular way of acquiring and collecting sculptures with home auctions being popular for picking up bargains. Another very popular method of buying antique sculptures is by relying on a person having no knowledge of what a particular piece of sculpture is worth when they sell it as “junk” at a car boot or garage sale.
While the collection of antique sculpture is more evident in Western countries it is becoming an increasingly popular market around the world as more and more people are taking an interest in not only the beauty of sculpture but also the worth of a set piece.
