Name of the statues. The most famous statues in the world

Back in the days of living in caves, people came up with the idea of ​​creating rock paintings, perpetuating memorable historical dates. And then man learned to carve and fashion sculptures from various materials. Today, there are many of the most famous sculptures in the world that attract the attention of people interested in such art. And who created the most famous sculptures world, what meaning do they carry and where are they located?

This most famous sculpture in the world depicts ancient Greek goddess love Aphrodite. The date of its creation is approximately 2nd century BC. It is believed that the sculpture was made by Agesander of Antioch. The statue, carved from marble, reaches a height of just over two meters. The statue was found by a French sailor in 1820 (on the island of Milos), who went ashore on the island and carried out excavations at the site of the ruins of an ancient amphitheater together with a local peasant. Aphrodite’s hands were at first in place, but were subsequently lost during a dispute that occurred between the French, who decided to take the sculpture to their homeland, and the owners of the island, the Turks, who did not want to release such a valuable antiquity from their native places. Today this sculpture is in the Louvre.

This sculptural image was created by the hand of Michelangelo (at the age of 28). The 5-meter statue of the second king of Israel, who reigned for 40 years, became real pinnacle Renaissance art. Jewish prophecies said that the Messiah would come from the line of David. And, according to the records of the New Testament of Christians, the origin of Christ came from King David. That is why this image of the ideal ruler is the most replicated throughout the world.

The author of this 1.5-meter bronze sculpture, created in 1440, is Donatello. This sculpture is the first of those to depict the naked human body. David smiles mysteriously and contemplates the head of the just killed Goliath.

The statue was created in honor of the goddess Nike. It was erected by people living on the island of Rhodes in honor of the victory they won over the fleet of the king of Syria. The statue of the goddess was installed on a rock, and its pedestal was made in the form of the bow of a ship. The sculpture was found in 1863 on the island of Samothraki. Just by looking at this statue with its flowing clothes, you can feel enormous power and an uncontrollable desire to move forward. The statue is today located in the Louvre.

This is one of the most famous sculptures in the world, created by Auguste Rodin in 1882. The author initially decided to call his creation “Poet” - the sculpture was supposed to be part of a composition called “The Gates of Hell” (“The Divine Comedy”). But then the author’s plan was slightly changed, and the image of Dante was replaced by a unique creator. The model for this sculpture was the Frenchman Jean Bo, who personified physical strength. Currently, at least twenty copies of this sculpture have been created in bronze and marble. One of the bronze sculptures is located on the author’s grave in Meudon.

In this sculpture, the famous sculptor Michelangelo conveyed all the grief of the Virgin Mary for her lost son. This creation was created by the author at the age of 24 and is one of his best works, which is simply imbued with emotions, humanity and deep symbolism. In addition, the Pieta is the only work by Michelangelo that bears his signature.

This is the goddess of justice Ancient Greece. Themis wears a blindfold and also holds a horn and scales in her hands. The bandage signifies impartiality, the scales commemorate the weighing of good and evil, and the cornucopia indicates the reward or non-reward of the one who appeared before the court of the goddess. Such a sculpture was installed at the entrance to the building of the Russian Supreme Court, but without a blindfold, which caused a lot of harsh comments in the media.

The bust of Nefertiti is one of the most famous sculptures in the world. The ancient Egyptian queen Nefertiti was the wife of Akhenaten, who was known as an excellent reformer. The bust of the queen is made of limestone and is completely painted. Enough for many years Egypt and Germany do not come to a compromise over who should own this sculpture.

The characters in this marble sculpture, also the work of Rodin, are taken from " Divine Comedy" It was created by its author in 1889. This creation by the great sculptor depicts an aristocrat from Italy who fell in love with her husband’s younger brother - this happened while reading a work about love. As a result, the husband, having learned about this, killed both of them. The sculpture is made in such a way that the man does not touch the woman with his lips, which indicates that they did not commit a sin, but were still killed.

This is the first ancient statue that depicts a person in motion. The first such sculpture was created in 450 from bronze - the sculptor Miron is considered its author. What we can see today is a copy of the original sculpture (the original was lost in the Middle Ages). In addition, there are quite a lot of copies of the Discobolus in our time.

Hermes with Dionysus in his arms

This statue, depicting Hermes with the infant Dionysus, is made of marble. It was found during excavations of the Temple of Hera (Olympia) in 1887. Hermes reaches a height of 2.12 m, and together with the pedestal the height of the sculpture is 3.70 m. Today this sculpture with the partially lost limbs of Hermes and Dionysus is in the Olympia Museum.

This sculptural group was created in 1888 by Rodin by order of the authorities of Calais. It contains part of the history of the city, when English king Edward III besieged the city, and the people, tired and exhausted from hunger, were forced to surrender. Then the king demanded that six noble people come to him with ropes around their necks and in rags in order to allow themselves to be executed - in this case, he promised to leave all the inhabitants of the city alive. Seeing the exhausted and emaciated people of Calais, the English queen took pity on them and begged the king, in the name of their unborn child, to save their lives. Rodin categorically refused to create this composition on a pedestal - the figures of the citizens of Calais are located on the same level as those who want to look at the sculptural group.

This is one of the most famous and tallest statues in the world, which is located in Volgograd. The height of the statue is 52 meters. The figure of a woman who has taken a step forward calls on her sons to defend the Motherland.

This statue, installed in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), is known throughout the world. It is located at an altitude of 700 meters above the sea. The height of the figure of Christ is 30 meters. The statue was erected on Corcovado Hill in 1931. This is a fairly popular statue, so some other countries have even tried to replicate it.

This sculpture, located in Brussels, is very famous. It is unknown when and by whom this sculpture was created. Many legends and traditions are associated with it. But we can definitely say that the sculpture is more than one hundred years old - there is some information that it already existed in the 15th century.

For many centuries, great artists have given humanity their art, producing incredible works. One of the directions is sculpture. We present to your attention the rating greatest sculptures in the history of mankind, of course, like all ratings that cannot be measured by any clear parameters, it is controversial, and it does not include all works worthy of it, but still, it is close to the truth. And so - the most recognizable statues in the whole world.

10. Bronze David

Made in 1440 by Donatello (1386-1466), the bronze David is by far one of the most famous sculptures. It should be noted that this is the first statue of a free-standing nude human body made of bronze during the Renaissance. She depicts young David with mysterious smile, with his foot placed on the severed head of Goliath with his sword in his hands, immediately after killing the giant. There is also much speculation as to when the statue was made. Proposed dates vary from the 1420s to the 1460s, although the exact date is not known.

9. Bronze statue “Savannah Girl Feeding the Birds”

The sculpture known as "Girl Feeding the Birds" was created in 1936 by female sculptor Sylvia Shaw Judson (1897-1978) in Lake Forest, Illinois, for her own garden. This sculpture became famous after appearing on the cover of the 1994 novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Made of bronze, 50 inches (1 m 27 cm) in height, the image is of a young girl in a simple dress with a sad or contemplative expression on her face, with her head tilted to the left, standing upright, elbows resting on her waist, holding two bowls. The bowls are often described by viewers as "feeders".

8. "Disc thrower"

The discus thrower is a copy of a lost famous Greek bronze statue. The sculptor is still not reliably known, it is believed that Myron was completed towards the end of 460-450 BC. Numerous Roman copies survive, both in bronze and marble. It represents the body of an athlete in motion. Like all Greek athletes, the discus thrower is completely naked.

7. "Kiss"

"The Kiss" 1889, marble sculpture by the French sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840-1917). This sculpture has interesting story, it depicts 13th-century Italian noblewoman Paolo Malatesta, immortalized by Dante in his Divine Comedy, who falls in love with his older brother's wife Francesca da Rimini; the couple was exposed and killed by Francesca's husband, Gianciotto Malatesta. In the sculpture it is clear that the lover’s lips never actually touched completely, the kiss was interrupted, and when they met their death, their lips never touched. When critics first saw the sculpture in 1887, they suggested the name Le Baiser (French)

6. Hermes with baby Dionysus

The Hermes of the sculptor Praxiteles is famous. The statue was discovered in 1877 in the ruins of the Temple of Hera in Olympia. This is displayed in the Archaeological Museum of Olympia. It is traditionally attributed to Praxiteles and dated to the 4th century BC, the identification of authorship being based on the comments of the Greek traveler Pausanias, who contributed significantly to defining Praxiteles' style.

5. "Themis"

The Themis sculpture is one of the most famous sculptures in the world. This statue is not attributed to a specific artist, but the fact that it adorns many courthouses around the world has made it one of the most popular sculptures. This sculpture goes by many names, including "Themis", "Scales of Justice". Themis, Themis, was among the ancient Greeks and Romans, the goddess of justice, legality and justice. Themis is always depicted with a blindfold over her eyes, as a symbol of impartiality, and with scales in her hands, a symbol of measure and justice.

4. "Pieta"

Created by Michelangelo (1475-1564), the Pietà depicts the Virgin Mary holding the body of Jesus Christ in her arms. Before the Pieta sculpture, Michelangelo was not very famous artist. In 1498, he was commissioned to create a life-size sculpture of the Virgin Mary holding her son in her arms. Over the course of two years, from a single slab of marble, Michelangelo created one of the most beautiful sculptures in the world.

3. Thinker

"Thinker" famous sculpture Auguste Rodin. Originally called "The Poet", it was part of a composition created for the Museum gate decorative arts in Paris. Rodin based the composition on the plot of Dante's Divine Comedy. Each of the statues represented one of the main roles in the epic poem. "The Thinker" was originally conceived to depict Dante himself in front of the Gates of Hell, pondering his great poem. (Ultimately, a miniature statue sits on top of the gate, brooding over the hellish fate of those below). The sculpture depicts a naked figure of a man, in very serious thoughtfulness and a state of internal contradiction.

2. Venus de Milo

The Venus de Milo sculpture was created sometime between 100 and 130 BC. She is believed to depict Aphrodite (Venus to the Romans), the Greek goddess of love and beauty. It is a marble sculpture, slightly larger than life-size 203 cm (6 ft 8 in) tall. Her arms and original baseboards were lost. According to the inscription on its base, it is considered the work of Alexandros of Antioch, and was previously mistakenly attributed to the work of the sculptor Praxiteles. Venus is currently on display at the Louvre (Paris). Surprisingly, the statue was discovered by chance in a field by a farmer.

1. David

The sculpture "David" is a Renaissance masterpiece created between 1501 and 1504. Italian artist Michelangelo. This is a marble statue of a naked man, 5 m 17 cm (17 ft) high. The statue represents the biblical hero David, a beloved hero in the art of Florence. It was originally commissioned to be placed high on the façade of Florence Cathedral, but was instead placed in the city's main square. Because of the character of the hero, the statue soon became a symbol of the defense of civil liberties enshrined in the Florentine Republic, an independent city-state that was threatened on all sides by more powerful rival states. David's eyes turned towards Rome in warning.

Planning trip to Greece, many people are interested not only in comfortable hotels, but also in the fascinating history of this ancient country, an integral part of which are art objects.

A large number of treatises by famous art historians are devoted specifically to ancient Greek sculpture, as the fundamental branch of world culture. Unfortunately, many monuments of that time did not survive in their original form, and are known from later copies. By studying them, you can trace the history of the development of Greek fine arts from the Homeric period to the Hellenistic era, and highlight the most striking and famous creations of each period.

Aphrodite de Milo

The world famous Aphrodite from the island of Milos dates back to the Hellenistic period of Greek art. At this time, through the forces of Alexander the Great, the culture of Hellas began to spread far beyond Balkan Peninsula, which was noticeably reflected in the fine arts - sculptures, paintings and frescoes became more realistic, the faces of the gods on them have human features - relaxed poses, an abstract look, a soft smile.

Aphrodite statue, or as the Romans called it, Venus, is made of snow-white marble. Its height is slightly larger than human height, and is 2.03 meters. The statue was discovered by chance by an ordinary French sailor, who in 1820, together with a local peasant, dug up Aphrodite near the remains of an ancient amphitheater on the island of Milos. During its transportation and customs disputes, the statue lost its arms and pedestal, but a record of the author of the masterpiece indicated on it was preserved: Agesander, the son of Menidas, a resident of Antioch.

Today, after careful restoration, Aphrodite is exhibited in the Louvre in Paris, attracting natural beauty millions of tourists every year.

Nike of Samothrace

The creation of the statue of the goddess of victory Nike dates back to the 2nd century BC. Research has shown that Nika was installed above the sea coast on a steep cliff - her marble clothes flutter as if from the wind, and the tilt of her body represents constant forward movement. The thinnest folds of clothing cover the strong body of the goddess, and powerful wings are spread in joy and triumph of victory.

The statue's head and arms were not preserved, although individual fragments were discovered during excavations in 1950. In particular, Karl Lehmann and a group of archaeologists found right hand goddesses. The Nike of Samothrace is now one of the outstanding exhibits of the Louvre. Her hand was never added to the general exhibition; only the right wing, which is made of plaster, was restored.

Laocoon and his sons

A sculptural composition depicting the mortal struggle of Laocoon, the priest of the god Apollo and his sons, with two snakes sent by Apollo in revenge for the fact that Laocoon did not listen to his will and tried to prevent the Trojan horse from entering the city.

The statue was made of bronze, but its original has not survived to this day. In the 15th century, a marble copy of the sculpture was found on the territory of Nero’s “golden house” and, by order of Pope Julius II, it was installed in a separate niche of the Vatican Belvedere. In 1798, the statue of Laocoon was transported to Paris, but after the fall of Napoleon's rule, the British returned it to its original place, where it is kept to this day.

The composition, depicting Laocoon's desperate dying struggle with divine punishment, inspired many sculptors of the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and gave rise to a fashion for depicting the complex, whirlwind movements of the human body in fine art.

Zeus from Cape Artemision

The statue, found by divers near Cape Artemision, is made of bronze, and is one of the few pieces of art of this type that has survived to this day in its original form. Researchers disagree about whether the sculpture belongs specifically to Zeus, believing that it can also depict the god of the seas, Poseidon.

The statue has a height of 2.09 m, and depicts the supreme Greek god, who raised his right hand to throw lightning in righteous anger. The lightning itself has not survived, but from numerous smaller figures it can be judged that it had the appearance of a flat, highly elongated bronze disk.

From almost two thousand years of being under water, the statue was almost undamaged. Only the eyes disappeared, which were presumably from ivory and inlaid precious stones. You can see this work of art at the National Archaeological Museum, which is located in Athens.

Statue of Diadumen

A marble copy of a bronze statue of a young man who crowns himself with a diadem - a symbol sporting victory, probably decorated the venue of the competitions in Olympia or Delphi. The diadem at that time was a red woolen bandage, which, along with laurel wreaths, was awarded to the winners Olympic Games. The author of the work, Polykleitos, performed it in his favorite style - the young man is in slight movement, his face reflects complete calm and focus. The athlete behaves like a deserved winner - he does not show fatigue, although his body requires rest after the fight. In the sculpture, the author managed to very naturally convey not only small elements, but also general position body, correctly distributing the mass of the figure. Full proportionality of the body is the pinnacle of development of this period - classicism of the 5th century.

Although the bronze original has not survived to this day, copies of it can be seen in many museums around the world - the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, the Louvre, the Metropolitan, and the British Museum.

Aphrodite Braschi

The marble statue of Aphrodite depicts the goddess of love baring herself before taking her legendary, often mythical bath that restores her virginity. Aphrodite holds in her left hand removed clothes, which gently falls onto a nearby jug. From an engineering point of view, this solution made the fragile statue more stable and gave the sculptor the opportunity to give it a more relaxed pose. The uniqueness of Aphrodite Brasca is that this is the first known statue of the goddess, the author of which decided to depict her naked, which at one time was considered unheard of audacity.

There are legends according to which the sculptor Praxiteles created Aphrodite in the image of his beloved, the hetaera Phryne. When her former admirer, the orator Euthyas, found out about this, he raised a scandal, as a result of which Praxiteles was accused of unforgivable blasphemy. At the trial, the defense lawyer, seeing that his arguments did not satisfy the impression on the judge, tore off Phryne’s clothes to show those present that such a perfect body of the model simply could not conceal dark soul. The judges, being adherents of the concept of kalokagathia, were forced to completely acquit the defendants.

The original statue was taken to Constantinople, where it died in a fire. Many copies of Aphrodite have survived to this day, but they all have their own differences, as they were reconstructed from verbal and written descriptions and images on coins.

Marathon youth

Statue young man made of bronze, and supposedly depicts greek god Hermes, although no prerequisites or attributes of it are observed in the hands or clothes of the young man. The sculpture was raised from the bottom of Marathon Bay in 1925, and since then has joined the exhibition of the National archaeological museum in Athens. Thanks to the fact that the statue long time was under water, all its features were very well preserved.

The style in which the sculpture is made reveals the style famous sculptor Praxiteles. The young man stands in a relaxed position, his hand rests on the wall against which the figure was installed.

Discus thrower

The statue of the ancient Greek sculptor Myron has not survived in its original form, but is widely known throughout the world thanks to its bronze and marble copies. The sculpture is unique in that it was the first to depict a person in complex, dynamic movement. Such a bold decision by the author served a shining example for his followers, who with no less success created works of art in the style of “Figura serpentinata” - a special technique depicting a person or animal in an often unnatural, tense, but very expressive, from the point of view of the observer, pose.

Delphic Charioteer

A bronze sculpture of a charioteer was discovered during excavations in 1896 at the Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi, and is a classic example ancient art. The figure depicts an ancient Greek youth driving a cart during Pythian Games.

The uniqueness of the sculpture lies in the fact that the inlay of the eyes with precious stones has been preserved. The youth's eyelashes and lips are decorated with copper, and the headband is made of silver, and presumably also had inlay.

The time of creation of the sculpture, theoretically, is at the junction of archaism and early classicism - its pose is characterized by stiffness and the absence of any hint of movement, but the head and face are made with quite great realism. As in later sculptures.

Athena Parthenos

Majestic goddess Athena statue has not survived to this day, but there are many copies of it, restored in accordance with ancient descriptions. The sculpture was made entirely of ivory and gold, without the use of stone or bronze, and stood in the main temple of Athens - the Parthenon. Distinctive feature goddess - a high helmet decorated with three crests.

The history of the creation of the statue was not without fatal moments: on the shield of the goddess, the sculptor Phidias, in addition to depicting the battle with the Amazons, placed his portrait in the form of a weak old man who lifts a heavy stone with both hands. The public of that time had ambivalent assessments of Phidias's act, which cost him his life - the sculptor was imprisoned, where he took his own life with poison.

Greek culture became the founder for the development of fine arts throughout the world. Even today, considering some modern paintings and the statues can detect the influence of this ancient culture.

Ancient Hellas became the cradle in which the cult was actively nurtured human beauty in its physical, moral and intellectual manifestation. Residents of Greece of that time they not only worshiped many Olympian gods, but also tried to resemble them as much as possible. All this is reflected in bronze and marble statues - they not only convey the image of a person or a deity, but also make them close to each other.

Although many of the statues did not survive to modern times, they exact copies can be seen in many museums around the world.

Without sculpture, art cannot be complete.

Carving and sculpting people, animals and various objects appeared in the history of mankind almost simultaneously with rock art. Sculptures are the same paintings, only physical, and therefore expressing emotions a little differently. What statues tell us is much easier for us to perceive because they are tangible and more like us than works of any other form of art.
In this material we have collected 15 famous and significant sculptures created in different times from different materials for different purposes. Please share your favorite pieces of sculptural art in the comments.

David

Michelangelo

The five-meter statue of the biblical hero David, created by Michelangelo when he was only 28 years old, is perceived as a symbol of the Florentine Republic and one of the pinnacles of not only Renaissance art, but also of human genius in general.
The most replicated sculptural image in the world.

Thinker

Auguste Rodin

Another extremely popular image was created by Auguste Rodin in 1882. Initially, the sculpture was supposed to be called “The Poet” and be part of the composition “The Gates of Hell” based on the “Divine Comedy”. The model for the sculpture was a Frenchman named Jean Bo, a muscular boxer who mainly competed in Paris's red light district.

walking man

Alberto Giacometti

The most expensive sculpture in the history of mankind. In 2010, the 183-centimeter “Walking Man” sculpture, made by a Swiss sculptor in 1961, was auctioned at Sotheby’s for record amount at 104.3 million dollars.
The sculpture is considered one of the most important in the work of this master; its image is also featured on the 100 Swiss francs banknote.

Venus de Milo

probably Agesander of Antioch

The famous ancient Greek sculpture, created around the middle of the second century BC, was found on the island of Melos in 1820 by a French sailor who decided to search the coast for antiquities for sale. The hands were then safe and sound, but were lost during the conflict between the French (who found them) and the Turks (the owners of the island).

Nike of Samothrace

An ancient Greek marble sculpture of the goddess Nike was found on the island of Samothrace in the territory of the sanctuary of the Kabiri in April 1863. The statue was erected by the inhabitants of the island of Rhodes in memory of the victory they won over the fleet of the Syrian king. She stood on a steep cliff above the sea, her pedestal depicted a nose warship. The powerful and majestic Nika, in clothes fluttering in the wind, is presented in an unstoppable movement forward. Currently located in the Louvre.

Pieta

Michelangelo

Pietà is a common name for images of the Virgin Mary mourning her son. The best of them was made by Michelangelo at age 24. The impeccable composition, emotionality, humanity and deep symbolism of the sculpture made it an example of the culture of the High Renaissance.

Nefertiti

One of the most famous sculptural monuments culture of Ancient Egypt. Nefertiti was the wife of the reformer pharaoh Akhenaten. The bust is made entirely of limestone and is completely painted. Particularly preserved beautiful flowers, giving great contrast between brown Nefertiti's face and crown jewels make it a unique work of art. Egypt and Germany, where the bust of the queen is kept, have been quarreling over it for many years, but cannot come to an agreement.

Capitoline wolf

Etruscan bronze sculpture, stylistically dating back to the 5th century BC, never left Rome, the city founded by those who were nursed by the she-wolf. During the time of Benito Mussolini, the Capitoline Wolf was used as a propaganda symbol, embodying the fascist regime's desire to revive the Roman Empire.

Motherland

Vuchetich and Nikitin

One of the tallest statues in the world is located in Volgograd and is perhaps the main symbol of the struggle Soviet people with fascism. The 52-meter figure of a woman stepped forward, calling her sons to fight the enemy.

Another place

Antony Gormley

Landscape installation "Another place" - sample contemporary art calling philosophical reflections and inducing melancholy. Exactly one hundred human-height cast-iron sculptures were placed in 2006 along a three-kilometer beach line north of Liverpool. They face the sea, and during high tides, some of the sculptures are partially or completely submerged under water.

Citizens of Calais

Auguste Rodin

The sculptural group "Citizens of Calais", commissioned by the municipality of Calais, was completed by Rodin in 1888. During Hundred Years' War The English king Edward III besieged the city, and after some time hunger forced the defenders to surrender. The king promised to spare the inhabitants only if six of the noblest citizens came out to him in rags and with ropes around their necks, giving themselves up for execution. This requirement was fulfilled. The first to volunteer to give his life to save the city was one of the main rich men, Eustache de Saint-Pierre. Queen Philippa of England was filled with pity for these emaciated people, and in the name of her unborn child, she begged forgiveness for them from her husband.
Rodin revolutionaryly insisted on abandoning the pedestal, although his will was carried out only after the death of the sculptor, and the figures are on the same level as the audience.

Pissing boy

The main attraction of Brussels. The exact time and circumstances of the appearance of the statue are unknown. According to some information, the statue existed already in the 15th century. Some Brussels residents say that it was installed as a reminder of the events of the Grimbergen War, when a cradle with the son of Godfrey III of Leuven was hung on a tree in order to inspire the townspeople with the sight of the future monarch, and the child from there urinated on the soldiers fighting under the tree. According to another legend, the statue was originally intended to remind the townspeople of the boy who extinguished the ammunition laid out by the enemy under the city walls with a stream of urine.
Since 1695, the statue has been stolen several times, in last time the statue was stolen in the 1960s, after which it was once again replaced with a copy.

Terracotta Army

At least 8099 sculptures of Chinese warriors and their horses make up this property of China. Terracotta statues, each of which is absolutely individual, were buried in battle formation along with the first emperor of the Qin dynasty - Qin Shi Huang, who unified China and connected all the links Great Wall in the 3rd century BC.
The warriors were supposed to support the power of the emperor in the afterlife.

Golden Buddha

The world's largest solid gold statue is located in Bangkok's Wat Traimit temple - it is about three meters tall and weighs more than five tons.
During the war with Burma, the statue was covered with plaster, and then no one could reveal the secret of this Buddha. Until 1957, little attention was paid to the statue - until it was transported to a new location. According to rumors, during transportation it began to rain, before which the statue, due to its weight, also fell from the crane transporting it; It was sheltered from the rain, but the water still washed away the covering from one of the areas enough for one of the monks to notice a strange shine. According to another version, the plaster cracked from the fall.