10 Of The World's Most Erotic Statues
Emma Martin Quick Links
Sculpture lovers and those who sculpt love the three-dimensional aspect of this art form. Statues are generally made out of stone, metal, ceramics, wood, clay, ice and many other unique materials. Modern artists have become more creative about their methods and often use a combination of materials, textiles and processes.
There are several different techniques that artists have always used to bring their visions to life and they include carving, welding, molding, casting and whittling. Artists from more recent eras employ techniques that include assembling, constructing and other processes to achieve their desired result.
Obviously, stone sculptures last the longest so the ancient sculptures we are most familiar with were made from stone, such as the great pyramids, Stonehenge and more.
Sculpture has been used for religious purposes for centuries and by many different cultures. The Greeks actually produced masterpieces based on their gods and goddesses. Later on during the Renaissance period, Michelangelo produced David, which became one of the world's most recognized sculptures.
As you know, many sculptures depicted nude figures as that was the style during that period, but in 1557 Pope Paul IV decided penis' should be covered up and instituted a "fig leaf" policy. Many more fig leaves were produced in 1758-1769 to cover the remaining exposed penis' and the anti-sexual silent war continued.
Long story short, this whole process lasted for 450 years and was responsible for destroying most of the Catholics visual arts. It is also responsible for making "shame" a common emotion. Covered penis' was an analogy for "being saved" and exposed units were considered "damned".
Not one statue in the Vatican has an exposed penis. In fact, there is a story that in 1857 Pope Pius was said to have all penis' removed and put in a separate room within the Vatican museum. We don't think these penis' have seen the light of day since they were removed. We can't help but wonder what will become of them during the upcoming century. The real question is why were the male members saved instead of discarded? What did the Pope have in mind?
In the interest of further education on sculptures and art, we decided to find some of the most erotic sculptures and statues on the planet. Some may call them irreverent, we think they are amusing and wanted to share them with you. Most are man-made, although there are a couple of natural surprises thrown in just to prove Mother Nature also has a strong sense of humor. We've also included ancient and more modern pieces to demonstrate the longevity of eroticism and sexual focus.
Beware - there are a few that are extremely explicit. We want to give you a heads up in the event any tiny tots happen to be lurking in your vicinity.
10. Pompeii, Italy
You might find this sculpture of Pan having sex with a female goat interesting, or not. Earlier civilizations seemed to have fewer limitations on what they considered normal sexual activities.
9. Oslo, Norway
What was this sculptor thinking when this was created and how did he get the commission? These interesting sculptures are located in a sculpture park in Frogner Park in Oslo. The sculptures are intended to illustrate life cycles and also includes a children's playground and a fountain representing life and death and a 2,700-ft. Wheel of Life. Gustav Vigeland handcrafted this fascinating series.
8. JeJu, Korea
This bronze sculpture can be seen in Loveland, along with giant dildos with interactive buttons, a stone penis, oral sex-engaged sculptures and these climbable breast mounds. Who would have thought Korea would be sexually-minded enough to build a dedicated park?
7. Czech Republic
Prague's Futura Gallery offers the unique experience of crawling into this sculpture's "hole". Believe it or not, t's actually a statement about the Czech Republic's politician. Once you climb to the top and look into it, you see Czech politicians feeding each other while Queen's "We Are The Champions" plays loudly.
6. Penis Rocks
Well, these aren't exactly pre-planned sculptures. In fact, they might be considered Mother Nature's natural art. These penis-shaped rocks are found in various places all around the world. Thailand has the Grandfather Rock; Turkey has these penis rocks in the Love Valley (pictured above); Vietnam has a cave-hidden group that is illuminated in a bright pink hue.
5. Konark Sun Temple - India
Kama Sutra is everywhere in India. This civilization really goes all out for tactical pleasure and seems to promote group sex in every way. Most of the temples include highly sexual scenes that include orgies, the 60 sexual Kama Sutra positions and more. The Khajuraho Temple seems to be the place for most of the orgy-type depictions. Kama Sutra is an ancient Indian Hindu work that had become the standard for human sexual behavior. It was written in Sanskrit literature hundreds of years earlier and adopted by many even today. There is a complete line of sexual aids that have been developed and made available in adult stores and online. If you've never heard of it, just do a search using the same name.
4. Paris, France
The sculptor, Rodin, is known for creating "The Thinker", which was one of the most heralded sculptures of all time. Well, little did you know that many of his other pieces might be considered a bit on the erotic side. This piece, entitled "The Eternal Idol" was created in the late 1800's and shows two lovers submitting to one another. To see this and other Rodin sculptures, check out the Musée Rodin in the 7th district of Paris. You'll see Rodin was doing more than just "thinking".
3. Japanese Elephant Ivory Mini Statue
Japanese elephant ivories come in all sizes. This intricate ivory scrimshaw erotic netsuke figure shows a man and a women enjoying a comfortable sexual position. Their expressions look like they are having a pleasant conversation rather than sex, but perhaps they are engaged in a marathon tantra run and are pacing themselves. The scrimshaw is extremely well done, particularly for its tiny size of 1.5 inches in length and 1 inch wide.
2. Medieval Hindu Temples
This sculpture almost looks like a gymnastics team performing a complicated stunt. The temples at Khajuraho were built somewhere between 950 and 1050. These super erotic sculptures are found everywhere in India - particularly on the exteriors of temples. Some say they were built to amuse Indra (leader of the Devas/gods). One must admit, it is a serious departure from seeing religious icons and events that generally adorn exteriors of religious buildings. We have to wonder how all of this started in a country that contains, hides and dissuades sexuality.
1. Bologna, Italy
The Milkmaid fountain located in Bologna, is visited annually by thousands. Let's think about what the artist must have been thinking about when this statue was designed. Perhaps this was the best way to push erotica into the mainstream. Was it created as an attempt to provide young men with erotic visuals? Young boys could sit peacefully around this fountain and let their imaginations go wild.
