Artists from the earliest cave dwellers to modern-day sculptors have been portraying animals in art. Animals mean a lot to humans, and artists have reflected this by representing them through art. This representation includes sculptures, as bringing these animals to life and putting them into the home is a long and storied tradition. Read more to learn the long history of animal sculptures and how important they are.
The origin of animals in art can be traced back thousands of years. The earliest man created animal sculptures thousands of years ago. These pieces were not isolated to particular geographic regions. Instead, they occurred globally. For example, sculptors in what would be modern-day China constructed small-scale sculptures in bronze and pottery. Simultaneously, Egyptian sculptors created more naturalistic figures representing a variety of animals.
Many of the first animals that began appearing in sculptures were domesticated animals such as cattle, donkeys, and horses, but wild animals were also incredibly prevalent. A lot of art and sculptures depicted lions, apes, birds, fish, and even hippopotamuses. These animals were present in art because they shaped how ancient people saw the world. People rode horses into battle, hunted bison for food, traveled with pack animals, and trained guard animals to protect themselves, their families, and their flocks.
These animals appeared in cave paintings, carved stone, clay sculptures, painted pottery, and even sculptures from precious metals. Humans held great respect for these creatures, as shown by the anatomic correctness of their depictions and the purpose of their sculptures. For example, ancient people associated the ram with the cult of Inanna, a goddess of Uruk, and the rams’ heads they sculpted helped them represent and worship their gods.
As time went on, the use of animals in art would remain prevalent, but their use would change somewhat. Many traditional forms would persist, appearing in Medieval art and within semi-abstract art appearing in Mexican, Oceanic, American Indian, and Mayan sculptures. These sculptures began appearing in more formal places, such as castles, gardens, and churches.
Interest in animals would persist, and artists placed great importance upon wild animals. Their ferocity and inability to be tamed made them highly desirable, so people of all statuses used features such as horns, wings, and claws in decoration. Archaeologists trace this tradition to the Neolithic period, but it continues well into today.
Lions and bulls were especially common in art as their images expressed power, so many rulers would commission them in pieces. For example, many sculptures of lions guard passageways into royal spaces, such as the Panel With Striding Lion from ancient Babylonia. Animals were also used to represent combat and the powerful force of nature.
A lot of modern depictions of animals evoke many of the same traditions seen throughout history. While the role of animals in art has changed immensely, animals are still highly valued and present in everything from sculptures to stories. People see themselves in animals, and artists and sculptors will continue to include them in their works to amplify that connection while also commenting on other aspects of society.
Many of the same symbols and connections accompanying animals since ancient times remain today. For example, rabbits and fawns evoke innocence, while bulls and lions represent power. Foxes and crows are tricksters, elephants gentle giants, and dogs are humble sidekicks.
From the beginning of art to today, artists and storytellers have combined and metamorphized animals, gods, and mythical beings. Creatures like the centaur and minotaur appear in myths around the world and continue to appear in stories and art even today. Many of the original depictions of these animals came from dreams and artists depicting them in human-like ways.
Take the Kneeling Bull Holding a Spouted Vessel from early Mesopotamia for example. Though it is not entirely clear what the purpose of the sculpture was, there are hypotheses that it was perhaps part of a ritual or a figure from a myth.
So, why is it that animals keep appearing in art like this? As mentioned previously, animals have profound importance in the world. In much of early history, their existence was essential for life. Civilization would look entirely different today without them serving as food, guardians, and workers.
Cultures have long used animal imagery to represent important ideas, such as fertility or agriculture. A lot of art depicts animals nursing their young or walking in pairs, alluding to their fertility. Meanwhile, a bowl might feature a relief of a bull, reflecting a desire for agricultural productivity.
Similarly, humans used animals in religious ways. Religions connected the spiritual world to animals, so they were often part of rituals, sacrifices, ceremonial hunts, or decoration. Sculptors constructed a lot of religious artifacts, like ceramic and stone vessels, in the form of animal heads.
Many religions even linked certain gods with animals, such as the Mesopotamian storm god Adad. Adad connected to bulls because of how thunder sounds like a bull’s roar. Religious practitioners would wear horned headdresses to show respect to these gods. Other gods and religious figures would often appear with wings and birdlike elements, imbuing them with angelic qualities.
People cherish companionship with animals and enjoy their presence. Even wild animals have a place in day-to-day life in film, documentaries, or trips to zoos and sanctuaries. Human consciousness and ego have people constantly reexamining themselves, trying to understand their place in the world, and people like to perceive themselves through animals. It’s hard to understand oneself, but it’s easy to look at animals and their natural instincts and feel commonalities with them.
The connection between animals and humans is hard to understand, but it is undeniable. Our histories have been intertwined since the dawn of man, and this connection will continue for many more years to come. However, their importance is still somewhat abstract, and the only way to truly define it and hope to understand it is to look through the history of the relationship. Of course, like all relationships, there have been ups and downs. With that said, the sheer volume of art—paintings, plays, sculptures, and everything in between—reflects how meaningful the relationship between humans and animals is.
The history of animal sculptures is fascinating, especially considering how we take it for granted. Animals have a special place in people’s hearts, and it makes sense that artists have represented them with such care over the years. At Jesse Nusbaum Art, this tradition lives on, and you can see it in my German shepherd bronze sculpture and my other works. Animals mean a lot, and that is why I continue to put them at the front and center of my work.
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