THREE-DIMENSIONAL MARVELS

10 Breathtaking Sculptures You Probably Didn't Know Existed

Image: Sonder Quest

From the Greek and Roman classics to the great artists of the Renaissance and the modern works that push the boundaries of materials and media, sculptures have always embodied beauty and wonder.

Sculpture is a powerful art form. Found not only in museums where we can see marvelous masterpieces but in a plethora of culturally significant artworks scattered around the world, all with unique stories to tell that evoke deep emotions in those who contemplate them. This time, we wanted to share with you 10 rare sculptures that will leave you spellbound.

Image: HOerwin56

David Černý is a Czech artist known for impressive sculptures that depict historical, religious, and cultural themes related to his country of origin. Perhaps one of his most famous works is K, a striking structure installed in 2014 at the Národní Třída metro station as a prelude to the Quadrio shopping center. With this original idea, Černý wanted to pay tribute to one of the most popular Czech writers, Franz Kafka.

The sculpture features 42 mobile mirrored stainless steel sheets stacked one on top of the other that rotate randomly on the same axis, outlining and distorting Kafka's features. Standing 36 feet tall and weighing around 39 tonnes, K complements a very similar work by Černý called METALmorphosis located at Whitehall Technology Park in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Image: Roi Dimor

One of the most typical postcards of the Atacama Desert, Chile, is the sculpture of a huge hand emerging from the arid soil. 75 kilometers south of Antofagasta stands Mano del Desierto —"Hand of the Desert"—, created by Chilean artist Mario Irarrázabal. It was built in reinforced concrete since he needed a hard and resistant material that could survive the harsh and windy environment of one of the most arid deserts on the planet.

This powerful and robust sculpture is 36 feet high and weighs about 14 tons. The best time to appreciate it in all its splendor is at night. When it gets dark and the desert temperature drops, the hand points to hundreds of stars, galaxies, and constellations that illuminate the pitch-black sky of this uniquely unpolluted place.

Image: Rohit Durbha

In the mythical Hindu epic Ramayana, the demon Ravana kidnaps Princess Sita to take her to Lanka —today's Sri Lanka— as a prisoner. Jatayu, a huge eagle, tries to stop him. Although killed, his bravery would later be recognized throughout India, especially in the tropical state of Kerala, south of the country.

The best example of a tribute to this demigod is the sculpture designed by artist Rajiv Anchal that can be found at the Jatayu Earth's Center Nature Park. According to the legend, the location of this theme park, in the Kollam district, coincides with the site of the Chadayamangalam rocks, where the bird is said to have fallen wounded. It is 200 feet long, 150 feet wide, and 69 feet high, making it the world's largest sculpture of a bird.

Image: srihari kapu

Jaume Plensa is a contemporary Catalan artist renowned for his sculptures depicting giant human heads crafted from various materials such as glass and stainless steel. Throughout his career, Plensa was the recipient of numerous awards, including the Velázquez Prize for Plastic Arts in 2013. In addition, he was granted an Honorary Doctorate Degree by the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

The city of Antibes, in France, houses one of his most emblematic works, the monumental Le Nomande —"The Nomad"—, located in front of the Bastion Saint Jaume, a former fortress intended to protect the coasts. The sculpture, 26 feet high and forged in steel, symbolizes our inner world shaped by written language. The figure composed of letters of the Latin alphabet is crouched down, observing the vastness of the Mediterranean Sea. As Plensa himself states, "Words are the bricks with which thought is built".

Image: Giancarlo Corti

Tintagel Castle, located on the North coast of Cornwall, England, is a must-see for lovers of Arthurian legends since it is considered the birthplace of King Arthur. Only a few ruins of the original medieval fortification remain, but nearby you can visit Gallos, a sculpture created by artist Rubin Eynon and unveiled in 2016.

Popularly known as the "King Arthur statue", this 8-foot bronze sculpture doesn’t depict any specific character but rather reflects the general history of the site. The spectral-looking male figure wears a cloak and crown, leaning over a sword. Notably, the sculpture is not solid. Instead, it has gaps through which one can have a glimpse of the breathtaking landscape. It was commissioned by English Heritage, an organization that manages over 400 historic sites, and although you have to climb through hundreds of steep steps to reach it, Gallos is an attraction worth visiting.

Image: Ryne Anderson

The Buddhist goddess of compassion and mercy, Kannon, is sculpted in a 330-foot-high sculpture that was installed in the Japanese city of Sendai in 1991. At that time, it was considered the tallest statue in the world, though it has since been surpassed by others in the following years.

The statue towers over the Izumi-ku district and visitors can go inside to find smaller statues of the goddess, Buddha, and other mythical kings. It is so tall that it can be seen from almost anywhere in the city. And, an elevator is available to reach its highest point and admire an unparalleled view of the landscape.

Image: Tim Wilson

Another amazing sculpture located in Antibes, France is Grand Défi —"The Challenge"—. Created by self-taught French sculptor Nicolas Lavarenne, known for his monumental bronze figures, this work depicts a naked, muscular man poised to jump into the sea. Almost like a ballet dancer, this body captured in action expresses both grace and strength.

Lavarenne's art is characterized by leaving viewers on edge: are the figures taking a leap of faith or are they on the verge of falling into the abyss? He himself has stated: "I sculpt in a realistic manner by seeking expression through the attitudes of the human body; I work on the paradoxical duality of situations. Perfectly balanced, but instantaneous, the bodies oscillate before the spectator, who makes them fall over or get up."

Image: mgpalmer

The Lost Gardens of Heligan, in Cornwall, are home to a rich natural beauty embellished by fascinating sculptures such as The Giant's Head, Grey Lady, and Mud Maid. The latter is perhaps the most iconic. It depicts a sleeping woman draped by vegetation resembling hair and a dress.

Mud Maid is said to be a "living sculpture," as the plants that cover her change from season to season and give the woman a different appearance depending on the time of year. Created by siblings Pete and Sue Hill in the late 1990s, this unique charming creation continues to be a staple of these centennial gardens.

Image: Sukanya Basu

On the banks of the Danube River in Budapest, Hungary, there are sixty pairs of iron shoes attached to the stone boardwalk. These are men's, women's, and children's old shoes that appear to have been abandoned. A sign, in both English and Hebrew, reads: "To the memory of victims shot into the Danube by Arrow Cross militiamen in 1944-45."

The Shoes on the Danube Promenade is a memorial erected in April 2005. It was created by film director Can Togay and sculptor Gyula Pauer to honor the 3,500 people —800 of them Jewish— who were ordered to take off their shoes before being killed and thrown into the river. The piece is striking and poignant. It succeeds in capturing the horrors of World War II with emotion and respect, and for that, it is admired worldwide.

Image: Mrg Simon

Located in Chamberlain, South Dakota, this intriguing 50-foot statue is made of stainless steel that glows in daylight. At night it’s illuminated by LED lights so that it does not lose its significant meaning. Dignity of Earth and Sky depicts the image of an Indigenous woman holding a starry quilt made of more than 100 blue diamonds that sway in the wind.

It was a gift from Norm and Eunabel McKie of Rapid City and crafted by American artist Dale Claude Lamphere in 2016. The sculpture was created as a symbol of respect for the Lakota and Dakota native peoples, indigenous to the Mount Rushmore State. The author has stated that his work has been well-received by the Native community and among visitors nationwide. "My hope over time is it really gets people to think about the beauty of the native cultures," he said.

Do we miss them?

These letters were left out of the English alphabet, and here's why

Image: Ksenia Makagonova

Some letters and symbols were once part of the English alphabet or its ancestors. But time and lack of use eventually made them be dropped, replaced, or forgotten. Most of them come from Old English, Middle English, Latin, or early printing traditions, and their stories are full of phonetic shifts, shortcuts, and the drive toward standardization. Let’s look at them!

Image: Andrey Grinkevich

Thorn was used to represent the "th" sound in words like thin or this. It visually resembled a modern P, which often causes confusion when seen in old manuscripts.

Common in Old English, it eventually got phased out during the Middle English period, replaced by the two-letter combination th. Thorn survives today in modern Icelandic, though!

Image: James Barnett

Eth was another letter used to represent the "th" sound, particularly the voiced version. It looked a bit like a crossed D and appeared alongside thorn in Old English texts.

Over time, English speakers settled on using "th" for both the voiced and voiceless sounds, and eth gradually fell out of use. Like thorn, eth still exists in modern Icelandic.

Image: MART PRODUCTION

Wynn was used to represent the "w" sound in Old English—a sound that Latin lacked a letter for. It resembled a capital "P," though it had no connection to that sound.

Instead of writing two "u"s (as in "uu"), scribes used wynn. Over time, however, "uu" evolved into the modern "w," and wynn was phased out during the Middle English period.

Image: Josué AS

Yogh had a rather confusing role. It could represent several sounds: a throaty "gh" like in "night," a "y" as in "yes," or even a soft "g" like in "genre," depending on context and region. It looked like the number 3 and was used heavily in Middle English.

As spelling and pronunciation evolved, these sounds were either lost or spelled differently (gh, y, j, or g).

Image: Bruno Martins

Ash is a fusion of "a" and "e," borrowed from Latin and used in Old English words like æthel (noble). It represented a distinct vowel sound, somewhere between "a" and "e," like the short "a" in cat.

In early English texts, it was treated as a letter in its own right. Over time, as English spelling standardized, ash was replaced by "a" or "e" depending on pronunciation.

Image: Natalia Y.

Think of Ethel as a relative of ash. This ligature combines "o" and "e" and shows up in Latin borrowings like fœtus, œuvre, and œconomy. As spelling was standardized, it got the axe in favor of plain old "oe" or even just "e."

You’ll still spot it in French and in stylized English writing.

Image: Jo Coenen - Studio Dries 2.6

This curious mark, which resembles a 7, means "and." Created by Cicero’s secretary Tiro in ancient Rome, it became a popular shorthand used by monks and scribes throughout the medieval world, including in Old English.

In Ireland, it persisted longer than almost anywhere else, until the more elegant ampersand (&) eventually took its place.

Image: Mark Wieder

Well, we know this one! But as a symbol, not as a letter from the alphabet. Once upon a time, schoolchildren recited it after "Z": X, Y, Z, and "per se and," which eventually morphed into the word "ampersand."

The symbol itself is a ligature of the Latin word et, meaning "and."

Image: Mark Rasmuson

This one looked like a medieval mashup of a "g" and a "z," and was mostly found in Irish and Old English manuscripts.

It served the same purpose as today’s "g." It stuck around until the Carolingian script took over, giving us the more familiar "g" we know today.

Image: Ot van Lieshout

At first glance, the Long S (ſ) looks like a stretched-out "f" missing its crossbar, but it’s an "s" in disguise. This character was used at the start and middle of words (e.g., ſunshine, bleſſing), but never at the end.

The character was ubiquitous in English printing until the late 1700s, when it was gradually replaced by the modern "s."

Image: Aaron Burden

The letter itself sounded like the "ng" at the end of "fang" or "sing."

The letter resembles an "n" with a tail and remains in use today in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and in languages such as Sami and Māori. However, English spelling never officially adopted it.