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Quizzes > Society & Culture

Freestanding Sculpture Quiz: Identify Works in the Round

Quick, free sculpture in the round quiz. Instant results.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Harvest HopeUpdated Aug 23, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art quiz banner with ancient Greek sculpture fragments and iconic statue silhouettes on dark blue background

This freestanding sculpture quiz helps you spot sculpture in the round, name famous pieces, and tell styles from classical to modern. If you want more practice, try our classical sculpture quiz for Greek and Roman highlights, explore the era in the renaissance art quiz, or go broader with an art history quiz.

What defines a freestanding sculpture?
A relief carved into a flat surface
A painted mural on a wall
A carved portrait head only
A sculpture meant to be viewed from all sides
Freestanding sculptures, also known as 'in the round', stand independently and can be viewed from every angle. They are fully three-dimensional and not attached to a background. This distinguishes them from reliefs, which project from a flat support.
Which of these is an example of a freestanding sculpture from ancient Greece?
Discobolus
Column of Trajan
Parthenon Frieze
Arch of Constantine
The Discobolus, or Discus Thrower, is one of the most famous examples of Greek freestanding sculpture. It dates to around 450 BCE and was originally cast in bronze. The other options are architectural reliefs or monuments.
The Discobolus, a famous freestanding sculpture, depicts what subject?
A discus thrower
A runner
A javelin thrower
A wrestler
The Discobolus shows an athlete poised to release a discus, capturing both tension and balance. It exemplifies classical Greek ideals of athleticism and harmony. The sculpture is attributed to Myron and is known through later Roman marble copies.
Which material did Michelangelo predominantly use for his freestanding sculptures?
Bronze
Wood
Marble
Terracotta
Michelangelo is renowned for carving in marble, producing iconic works like David and the Pietà. Marble allows for fine detail and a polished finish, fitting Renaissance aesthetics. While he designed bronze works, none match his fame in marble.
The Venus de Milo, a Hellenistic freestanding sculpture, is missing which body parts?
Head
Arms
Torso
Feet
Discovered on Milos in 1820, the Venus de Milo famously lacks both arms. Scholars believe they were broken off before its discovery. The sculpture dates to circa 130 BCE and depicts the goddess Aphrodite.
The Winged Victory of Samothrace represents which figure?
Hera
Aphrodite
Athena
Greek goddess Nike
Also known as the Nike of Samothrace, this Hellenistic sculpture depicts Nike, the goddess of victory. It dates to around 190 BCE and once stood on a ship's prow. The dramatic pose and wind-swept drapery make it a masterpiece of dynamic form.
What term describes a sculpture that is attached to a background, not freestanding?
Kinetic
In-the-round
Relief
Installation
A relief sculpture projects from a background surface but remains part of it. High relief and low relief refer to the depth of projection. In contrast, in-the-round or freestanding works stand independently.
Which modern artist is known for the freestanding abstract sculpture "Bird in Space"?
Alexander Calder
Henry Moore
Alberto Giacometti
Constantin Brancusi
Brancusi's "Bird in Space" (1919 - 22) abstracts the form of a bird in flight into a sleek, vertical shape. It challenged customs officials in a famous 1926 U.S. import case over whether it counted as art. This work is a landmark of modernist sculpture.
The famous Moai statues on Easter Island are examples of what?
Bas relief carvings
Painted statues
Freestanding monolithic sculptures
Kinetic sculptures
The Moai are large stone figures carved from volcanic tuff and placed upright on stone platforms. They are monolithic and freestanding, emblematic of Rapa Nui culture. Their imposing presence demonstrates sophisticated sculptural techniques.
Which of the following sculptures was created by Auguste Rodin?
The Thinker
David
Winged Victory
Pietà
Rodin's "The Thinker" was originally conceived as part of his Gates of Hell project. Cast in bronze in the late 19th century, it became one of the most famous freestanding modern sculptures. The other works are by Michelangelo or Hellenistic artists.
Michelangelo's David is renowned for its depiction of what stance?
Cross-legged
Reclining
Frontal rigidity
Contrapposto
Contrapposto describes a naturalistic pose where weight rests on one leg, creating a subtle S-curve in the body. Michelangelo's David exemplifies this classical technique, imbuing the marble figure with lifelike dynamism. It marked a Renaissance revival of ancient Greek ideals.
The Laocoön and His Sons, a freestanding sculpture group, originates from which period?
Hellenistic
Archaic
Classical
Byzantine
The Laocoön group, discovered in Rome in 1506, dates to the Hellenistic era (circa 2nd century BCE). It depicts the Trojan priest Laocoön and his sons struggling with sea serpents. Its dramatic composition influenced Renaissance artists.
Which casting technique is traditionally used to create bronze freestanding sculptures?
Lost-wax
Direct carving
Cold-casting
Sand-casting
The lost-wax process involves creating a wax model covered in refractory material, melting out the wax, then pouring molten bronze into the cavity. It allows for fine detail and is used since ancient times. Sand-casting and direct carving differ significantly.
What does the term "in the round" refer to in sculpture?
A sculpture only viewed from the front
A sculpture you can walk around and view from all sides
A sculpture carved inside a niche
A relief on a wall
In-the-round sculptures stand free and are finished on all sides, inviting viewers to circle them. This contrasts with reliefs or niche sculptures where certain sides remain unfinished. The term emphasizes full three-dimensionality.
Donatello's famous equestrian freestanding sculpture is known as what?
Gattamelata
Colleoni
Bartolomeo
Marcus Aurelius
Donatello's Gattamelata (1453) stands in Padua and honors the condottiero Erasmo da Narni. It is one of the earliest Renaissance bronze equestrian statues since antiquity. Verrocchio's Colleoni in Venice followed decades later.
The Statue of Liberty, a colossal freestanding sculpture, is primarily made of what material?
Granite
Aluminum
Copper
Iron
Designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the Statue of Liberty's outer skin is made of thin copper sheets. Over time, the copper developed a green patina. Its iron armature was later replaced with stainless steel supports.
Michelangelo's Pietà depicts which biblical scene?
The Resurrection
Christ's baptism
Mary cradling the dead Christ
The Annunciation
Carved circa 1498 - 99, the Pietà shows the Virgin Mary holding Jesus after his crucifixion. It is celebrated for its serene beauty and masterful marble carving. This work remains in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.
Which sculptor is credited with inventing the mobile, a type of freestanding kinetic sculpture?
Jean Arp
Alexander Calder
David Smith
Louise Bourgeois
Calder created his first mobiles in the 1930s, pioneering suspended, moving sculptures. These works rely on air currents for motion. They transformed public perception of sculpture as static.
The Dying Gaul, a Roman marble copy, is believed to replicate an original by which culture?
Egyptian
Roman
Hellenistic Greek
Etruscan
The Dying Gaul is a 1st-century CE Roman copy of a Hellenistic Greek original from the 3rd century BCE. It honors a defeated Gallic warrior, showcasing Hellenistic attention to pathos and realism. Its discovery in the 17th century influenced Neoclassical artists.
What is the name of Bernini's freestanding marble sculpture that captures Apollo pursuing Daphne?
Ecstasy of Saint Teresa
David
Apollo and Daphne
Moses
Created between 1622 and 1625, Bernini's Apollo and Daphne depicts a dramatic transformation as Daphne turns into a laurel tree. It exemplifies Baroque dynamism and Bernini's skill at rendering texture in marble. The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, by contrast, is a relief-like chapel sculpture.
Henry Moore is best known for what type of freestanding sculptures?
Kinetic mobiles
Realistic portrait busts
Abstract organic forms with holes
Minimalist blocks
Moore's signature works are large-scale abstract figures often pierced with voids. He drew inspiration from natural forms and human anatomy. His sculptures are placed in parks, plazas, and museums worldwide.
The Cycladic figurines, freestanding sculptures from the Bronze Age, originated in what region?
Crete
Mainland Greece
Anatolia
Cyclades Islands
Cycladic figurines date to the Early Bronze Age (circa 3200 - 2300 BCE) and were found in grave contexts across the Cyclades. Their simplified forms influenced 20th-century modernists. They were carved from local marble.
Which technique involves assembling found objects into freestanding sculptures?
Casting
Modeling
Carving
Assemblage
Assemblage uses pre-existing objects - wood, metal, plastic - arranged or combined into a sculpture. Pioneered by artists like Picasso and Duchamp, it challenged traditional carving and casting methods. It remains a key contemporary practice.
The Colossus of Rhodes was a massive freestanding sculpture representing whom?
Sun god Helios
Poseidon
Zeus
Apollo
Built circa 280 BCE on the Greek island of Rhodes, the Colossus honored Helios, the sun god. It stood about 33 meters high, making it one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It collapsed after an earthquake in 226 BCE.
Nancy Holt's "Sun Tunnels" are best described as which kind of freestanding artwork?
Bronze statues
Wooden poles
Large concrete tubes aligned with celestial events
Glass installations
Installed in the Utah desert in 1976, Holt's Sun Tunnels consist of four concrete cylinders arranged to frame solstice and equinox alignments. They integrate sculpture with landscape and astronomy. The work is a landmark of Earth art.
Which term specifically refers to sculptures intended to move or be moved?
Relief
Moiré
Mannerist
Kinetic
Kinetic sculpture incorporates movement or depends on motion for effect. Early examples include Calder's mobiles. This contrasts with static freestanding works. The term was popularized in the 1950s.
Which Baroque sculptor pioneered the use of polychrome marble in freestanding works?
Francesco Borromini
Michelangelo
Donatello
Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Bernini integrated colored marble and gilt bronze in several sculptural ensembles, enhancing realism and theatricality. His work in St. Peter's Basilica and the Cornaro Chapel introduced polychromy to Baroque sculpture. Earlier Renaissance artists favored single-color marble.
"Equivalent VIII," a minimalist freestanding work of stacked blocks, was created by which artist?
Carl Andre
Sol LeWitt
Donald Judd
Tony Smith
Carl Andre's Equivalent VIII (1966) consists of 120 firebricks laid in two offset rectangular forms. It epitomizes Minimalist emphasis on material and serial repetition. Its acquisition by the Tate caused a famous public controversy in 1972.
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Study Outcomes

  1. Analyze defining characteristics of freestanding sculpture -

    Understand how freestanding sculptures occupy space independently of backgrounds by examining form, balance, and three-dimensional structure.

  2. Identify iconic works in a famous sculptures quiz -

    Recognize key details of renowned sculptures, from ancient Greek masterpieces to modern creations, using this engaging sculpture art quiz.

  3. Recall materials and techniques of ancient Greek sculpture -

    Summarize the processes classical artists used, such as marble carving and bronze casting, to bring their creations to life.

  4. Differentiate sculpture categories based on structural design -

    Distinguish freestanding sculptures from reliefs, kinetic pieces, and installations by focusing on how each form interacts with space.

  5. Contextualize notable sculptures within art history -

    Place significant freestanding works in their historical and cultural settings, from the Archaic period to the Hellenistic era.

  6. Apply visual analysis skills to sculpture identification -

    Use observational techniques to accurately name and describe sculptures in a trivia format, sharpening your art history expertise.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Definition of Freestanding Sculpture -

    Freestanding sculpture, or "sculpture in the round," is a fully three-dimensional work viewable from all sides, unlike relief carving on a flat surface (The Metropolitan Museum of Art). Remember: if you can walk around it, it's freestanding - perfect prep for a sculpture identification quiz!

  2. Materials and Techniques -

    Ancient Greek sculpture often used marble and bronze, with bronze pieces cast via the lost-wax method (Khan Academy). Mnemonic trick: "Marble Brought Classic Legacy" helps you recall Marble, Bronze, Casting, Lost-wax.

  3. Key Greek Periods -

    Archaic (600 - 480 BCE) features rigid kouroi and korai with the "Archaic smile," Classical (480 - 323 BCE) introduces contrapposto and idealized realism, and Hellenistic (323 - 31 BCE) emphasizes dynamic poses and emotional expression (Oxford Art Online). Use "ACK" (Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic) to structure your study.

  4. Iconic Examples -

    Venus de Milo (c. 130 - 100 BCE, Louvre) and Discobolus by Myron (c. 460 BCE) are staples of any famous sculptures quiz, showcasing Hellenistic balance and Classical dynamism respectively (British Museum). Spot the missing arms on Venus and the discus thrower's twist to lock in your memory.

  5. Contrapposto and Drapery Clues -

    Look for weight-shift stances (contrapposto) where one leg bears weight and the other relaxes - common in Classical and Hellenistic works (Smarthistory). Note how drapery follows the body's contours; flowing folds signal Hellenistic flair, while stiff folds point back to Archaic origins.

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