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After (long after) the success of our furniture hunting mission of late February I always planned to put up some links and info for anyone looking for cheap furnishings in Berlin. Most people think of Ikea when they think of Cheap Furniture, but we didn’t just want cheaper than other furniture furniture, we wanted really actually cheap (or free) furniture. We invested in 5 days of van hire (220euro from Sixt) in the hope that we would recover the cost in other savings. Since delivery of Ikea stuff could easily run to 100euro it wasn’t too much to expect. Transport is at a premium in Berlin where most people have a small car or no car at all, so if you have the wheels to carry it there is a lot of free/cheap stuff on offer if you know where to look. One good word to know is Haushaltsauflösung, meaning moving house sale. Different people expect different things when they have these – some still want you to pay a bit too much for their crappy stuff, but you’ll find others where everything really has to go quick and you can get some bargains. Our main successes came from the following sources: Other possiblities are: Another random tip: if you’re after large rugs to cover your floors, try a carpet shop such as Domäne. There you can find large offcuts sold at a discount. We got a 3m by 4m carpet for about 30euros. In the end the gamble of hiring the van paid off very well. Here is a list of the kind of prices (in euro) we paid: Set of couches – free Desk – free Chest of drawers – free Coffee table – free Microwave – 25 Dinner table seats ten – 50 8 chairs – 30 TV stand with wheels and drawer – 20 Metal double bed with old matress – 30 1 year old mattress – 50 (cost 240 new) 68cm Grundig TV – 50 5m x 4m ‘persian’ rug – 30 Labels: , 3 comments: Anonymous said… said… Anonymous said… Subscribe to: Michael Payne I spent two years at the Berlin Mathematical School, but now moved back home to the University of Melbourne. This blog is about whatever I happen to find interesting.

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Ianz09 December 14th, 2010 at 12:32 am Appears to be a missing item title on numero dos 2 timothyjames December 14th, 2010 at 12:39 am Top 10 Greatest Ancient Sculptures Melbourne (with the exception of Rodin and Judson). Exactly what I expected to see on the list though. It would be nice to have a bit more explanation as to why these Sculptures Melbourne are so widely regarded as the greatest rather than these kind of superficial ones for those of us who are only tangentially familiar with sculpture as an art form. 3 bluesman87 December 14th, 2010 at 12:41 am my favorite Michaelangelo statue has always been this one . 4 cqsteve December 14th, 2010 at 12:45 am I had the fortune to see some of these Sculptures Melbourne last year and from a man whose previous appreciation of art was zero, I was blown away by the scope of talent of the artists. Looking at Pieta – the face of the Virgin Mary (utter sorrow & resignation) nearly made me cry. I still swear that David was breathing as we approached him. I saw another Michaelangelo (the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus) in some small church and it was simple but incredibly detailed. Great list. 5 oliveralbq December 14th, 2010 at 1:09 am i like being thrown for a loop. i just *knew* phidias’ statue of athena the virgin (once housed in the parthenon) would appear somewhere on the list. no problem that it didnt: the choices and descriptions are great, spencer. 6 gw1pcd December 14th, 2010 at 1:09 am Many of my favourites. I saw the Pieta in the Vatican and it literally took my breath away. It is lit beautifully and no picture or reproduction does it justice. The Bird Girl I didn’t know but it is enchanting. 7 dragut December 14th, 2010 at 1:25 am What about Benvenuto Cellini’s Perseus? 8 Metalwrath December 14th, 2010 at 1:37 am I’ve always considered “The Dying Gaul” to be one of the greatest statues. Nice list. 9 mordechaimordechai December 14th, 2010 at 2:09 am wow! is that one in florence, yes? 10 Stefan December 14th, 2010 at 2:59 am the thinker? FIRE POWER!!!! lol i love night at the museum decent list, enjoyed it, although (excuse my ignorance) i dont see whats so special about number 9… 11 jfrater December 14th, 2010 at 3:27 am Not anymore 12 garybeal December 14th, 2010 at 3:27 am see these are the kind of lists that made me start using listverse not top ten tattoos a man should get 13 jazper December 14th, 2010 at 3:33 am hey! where’s Canova?!! one of the most astonishing sculpture I’ve ever seen was a lamassu in NYC metropolitan — those things are almost upsetting — yet I agree, the David is number 1!=) 14 astraya December 14th, 2010 at 3:48 am A lot of art (painting and sculpture) seems to be an excuse to get people’s clothes off! 15 hybrid December 14th, 2010 at 3:52 am What’s up with David’s penis? Steroids anyone? 16 cqsteve December 14th, 2010 at 3:54 am The Lion Monument ( also known as the Lion of Lucerne) must have been a near miss for this list. 17 >.< December 14th, 2010 at 4:00 am hes secretly an asian 18 rtbradshaw December 14th, 2010 at 4:09 am The Venus de Milo does not belong on this list. It was a third rate statue from the Hellenistic era by an obscure sculptor. It wasn't mistakenly attributed to Praxiteles, a famous sculptor; it was intentionally misattributed to him. The sculpture doesn't in any way match his style, and the stylistic details of the statue clearly place the statue several hundred years after Praxiteles. There is a very, very good reason no one ever shows pictures of the back of the statue, because the sculptor gets very sloppy. The statue was meant to sit in a niche in a wall, and if no one was ever going to see the back of the statue, the sculptor wasn't going to be bothered putting any effort into making it look nice – a common technique among low quality statues in the Hellenistic period. The reason the statue is famous is that the Italian government had forced the Louvre to return several famous statues to Italy, and the curators at the Louvre needed something famous to compete. They found this third rate statue and gave it a lot of great press. That is all the Venus de Milo is. It is the Justin Bieber of statues. 19 Praveen December 14th, 2010 at 4:10 am Jesus Christ wasn't Mary's only son..:) 20 Arnaud December 14th, 2010 at 4:33 am You could also add to this list the Winged Victory of Samothrace: Or The Man Walking, by Giacometti And so many more by Auguste Rodin: Les Bourgeois de Calais: His portrait of Balzac: 21 Stephen December 14th, 2010 at 4:34 am Maybe you could make room for Bernini's Rape of Proserpina? The detail of the hands clasping the flesh is mind bogglingly brilliant. 22 MindlessM December 14th, 2010 at 4:36 am Two pieces that should have been on the list: The Statue of Liberty, easily the world's most recognizable statue and Bernini's "The Ecstasy of St. Teresa. And one or two honorable mentions: The Colossus of Rhodes and the Statue of Zeus at Olympi, two of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. 23 tim December 14th, 2010 at 4:39 am I'm not an art person, but I did enjoy the list. Could have been better if the author provided the current locations (i.e. Museums) of each statue. 24 danny December 14th, 2010 at 4:45 am most boring list in a while 25 Armin Tamzarian December 14th, 2010 at 4:46 am I really feel number nine doesn't belong on this list. It's not nearly as famous as others, and not nearly as pretty. Some others have already suggested better entries, and I would like to add 'the Ecstasy of Saint Theresa' to that. It is a shame you left Bernini out of this list, seeing as he was one of the foremost sculptors of the Baroque. Also, few entries on this list capture human emotion as well as that statue. It feels almost alive. Only the Pietà of Michelangelo can compete with that. Furthermore, I felt the entry for 'Lady Justice' was a bit to broad, because the rest of the entries were about single Sculptures Melbourne. However, it being such a popular subject in sculpting, the entry surely can be justified. Just not as high on the list, in my humble opinion. 26 MindlessM December 14th, 2010 at 4:46 am And if no. 9, Savannah Bird Girl Statue is on the list because there needed to be a female artist on the list, then perhaps a better choice would have been to include Camile Claudel, a contemporary of Rodin who was also a student of his who then became his lover. 27 Armin Tamzarian December 14th, 2010 at 4:48 am The Statue of Liberty was the first thing that came to my mind too, but then I realised it is not a sculpture. 28 Armin Tamzarian December 14th, 2010 at 4:49 am Oh, and I almost forgot, the Statue of Marcus Aurelius. 29 undaunted warrior 1 December 14th, 2010 at 5:04 am I enjoy these kind of lists, reminds me of the Dick King one we have here in S.A. he was an English trader at a British station here. He was best known for his historic horse ride in 1842 when he rode 600 miles in 10 days for help for a British Garrison. 30 danmoo071 December 14th, 2010 at 5:20 am I’ve personally seen 4 of these and they are marvelous in person. I am surprised another piece housed in The Louvre is not on the list, The Winged Victory. 31 lords8n December 14th, 2010 at 5:28 am #8 – “He sculpture of it is still unknown.” I think you meant “The sculpture of it is still unknown.”…anyways… Is it not Myron who created this work? 32 AndreX December 14th, 2010 at 5:35 am What about Canova’s Psyche? 33 Katie Binning December 14th, 2010 at 5:40 am I expected to see an entry about the Laocoon! 34 Coocoocuchoo December 14th, 2010 at 5:41 am what about Morph? 35 br0ck December 14th, 2010 at 5:43 am i knew david is going to be nb 1 good work 36 osmkk December 14th, 2010 at 5:45 am Great list.. I’m a recent follower of listverse. I spend now a lot of time in checkin out new lists. And for this one, i think bernini’s marble masterpiece rape of proserpina deserved a place. The detailings on the body of the women is simply awesome in that.. But still, this is a great list. Good work! 37 dread December 14th, 2010 at 5:45 am Not extensive enough to really warrant “Top” in the title and some choices are just odd. Nevertheless, a continuation from yesterday on my part about Michelangelo’s Sculptures Melbourne. As a child, my parents had a trunk of old newspapers and clippings from historical events such as the moon landing, the kennedys assassinations, ect. One clipping I remember was from 1972 when a guy named Laszlo Toth was arrested for hacking the Pieta with a hammer, screaming “I am Jesus!” . Some of the people present that eye witnessed the attack, made off with remnants that were never returned and Mary’s nose had to be replaced with a part of her back. Here’s some actual footage of the event and the destruction caused. The voice over to whatever documentary this is from is a bit much but the footage and preparations for restoration I find moving: 38 vanowensbody December 14th, 2010 at 5:55 am Great list. 39 oouchan December 14th, 2010 at 5:57 am I like Sculptures Melbourne. Wish I had that much talent. I have a sculpture of Einstein…at least it’s supposed to be. It looks more like my grandfather. Does anyone remember the movie The Goonies and the statue of David? That part was hilarious! Neat list. 40 cambered December 14th, 2010 at 6:07 am Perhaps a list of the 10 Greatest Statues is in order… aside from the lady you have already mentioned, I would nominate “The Motherland Calls”, on the banks of the Volga river in Volgograd, Russia… just magnificent: 41 cambered December 14th, 2010 at 6:17 am I can still remember seeing “David” in all his glory when I was a six year old boy… so beautiful; made a lifelong impression on me. Very pleased to see him at numero uno. It just goes to show how incredible a human being Michelangelo was… not only “David”, but the stunning tragedy of “Pieta” as well. They are unmitigated masterpieces. I concur too with several other posters re #9. I looked at it for quite some time and must say it appears out of its depth in such exalted company. 42 Rex December 14th, 2010 at 6:21 am Great list! But with one major fault – no mention of the Riace bronzes. I my, an many scholars opinion, the most perfect Sculptures Melbourne ever made. They are simply astounding 43 cambered December 14th, 2010 at 6:21 am Amazing sculpture, thanks for sharing. Is that the head of Medusa that Perseus is brandishing? If so, I always thought she had a serpents tail…? 44 cambered December 14th, 2010 at 6:25 am “That is all the Venus de Milo is. It is the Justin Bieber of statues.” Hilarious. Hopefully somebody lops off Biebers arms then… you know, just for authenticity’s sake. 45 RMP December 14th, 2010 at 6:26 am Top 10 greatest Sculptures Melbourne as a title is a bit far fetched. You have soley foccused on figurative, genereric favourites; not considering anything contemprary or abstract. Personally, if i was going to pick a ‘great’ sculpture from Greek times it would be the Maenad of Skopas, but that is just my opinion after a year studying Greek Sculpture. Overall a disspointing approach to great Sculptures Melbourne; I was expecting a more opinionated, diverse range. 46 Julius December 14th, 2010 at 6:29 am Same here, I also expected to see Laocoön and his Sons on the list… 47 Julius December 14th, 2010 at 6:31 am Catholic church being a frigid institution with kolpophobia anyone? 48 Julius December 14th, 2010 at 6:39 am No offense, but I have this feeling that all the posters here calling out for The Ecstasy of St. Teresa are thinking something along the lines of “hmmm…Sculptures Melbourne, Sculptures Melbourne…what was the one in Angels and Demons called again? The Ecstacy of something?….Ah yeah the Ecstasy of St. Teresa, let’s go complain that that isn’t on the list…” I think the main reason it is not on this list is that it is a group of Sculptures Melbourne, not a singular one like all the other entries on this list. 49 Julius December 14th, 2010 at 6:42 am Is there a distinct difference between a sculpture and a statue? 50 bluesman87 December 14th, 2010 at 6:44 am oh and no.9 is just a bird bath, you could make identical casts of it and sell it at a nursery, the old ladies will go bananas . 51 iago December 14th, 2010 at 6:45 am Not wanting to be insulting, or offensive, but I think Gian Lorenzo Bernini deserves a place on this list … like at the top. 52 Julius December 14th, 2010 at 6:46 am The depictions of the Gorgons vary but usually they have snake skin and fangs and snakehair but no snaketail…and all that only because Medusa asked Athena if she was jealous of her beauty 53 justme December 14th, 2010 at 6:46 am i like the pieta, the discus thrower, and lady justice the best. all the others are awful or just ok. michealangelo’s david’s head is too big, and the bird girl? seriously? that’s awful 54 YOYOUYU December 14th, 2010 at 6:59 am Rename it top 10 FAMOUS Sculptures Melbourne. Because clearly Pieta is the greatest one on the list. 55 Tassyane December 14th, 2010 at 7:31 am What about Ecstasy of Saint Theresa by Bernini? 56 cambered December 14th, 2010 at 7:32 am Thanks for clearing that up. 57 FlameHorse December 14th, 2010 at 7:38 am Jesus Christ was not Mary’s only son. But never mind that. The list is fantastic. 58 MacMan December 14th, 2010 at 8:01 am I always admire the sculpture/bust of Alexander the Great.. Just looking at it and thinking that at one point he was the most powerful person in the world (at such a young age). Today’s list is awesome. 59 VintageObsessive December 14th, 2010 at 8:12 am You’re right! The Bible tells us that Jesus had 4 brothers (James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas) and some sisters as well. He definitely wasn’t Mary’s only son. 60 timmar68 December 14th, 2010 at 8:25 am Wow. Beautiful! I didn’t know Michelangelo was in his early 20s. Wow. 61 tim023 December 14th, 2010 at 8:48 am They’re right. It should say her oldest son.__ 62 rawcookiedough December 14th, 2010 at 8:52 am Michaelangelo’s David was designed to be observed from bellow. Perspective will make the head, the large hands and excessivelt long left arm just the right size. This is what you’re supposed be looking at: 63 Julius December 14th, 2010 at 8:57 am He had cousins too, John and James the Greater… 64 Gav December 14th, 2010 at 9:02 am Especially when they tried gluing it on upside down. And then there’s the controversial aspect of Mouth(?) holding it in his mouth to hide it. Or was it Chunk? 65 oouchan December 14th, 2010 at 9:09 am Actually it was potato chips Chunk had in his mouth….but Chunk glued it upside-down and then Brandon Walsh said ” If God made it that way, you’d all be *****ing in your faces!” Too funny! 66 Wise Guy December 14th, 2010 at 9:24 am What’s up with David’s penis? Nothing at that particular moment 67 gringation December 14th, 2010 at 9:31 am The Winged Victory of Samothrace was always a personal favorite, for some reason. Interesting list, including a few I’d never heard of before. Thanks! 68 Lifeschool December 14th, 2010 at 9:35 am Good list, and I agree with the choices and the order. Well done. 69 Vulcan Thee Flagrant December 14th, 2010 at 10:02 am Does The Colossus not count or something!!!? 70 “ODHI” December 14th, 2010 at 10:07 am Great list,Give credit where it’s due;now how about ceasars sculpture ? “it definately dues credit ! 71 psychosurfer December 14th, 2010 at 10:09 am I have the feeling that the author is by no means an art expert, otherwise he wouldn´t aim for such a mammoth task as condensing 7000 years of sculpting into a Top Ten List. I recommend to narrow your goals to a “Top Ten Greek Sculptures Melbourne” for instance. I enjoyed the posters´suggestions better and here is another great one (my favorite from Donatello): 72 SanityInspector December 14th, 2010 at 10:14 am Definitely needs a Bernini on this list. 73 Julius December 14th, 2010 at 10:18 am The Starcraft 2 unit? No it’s doesn’t it’s imba And the coloss of Rhodes doesn’t count because a) it was destroyed some 2000 years ago b) it was freaking huge, almost of colossal size, whereas all the other entries are “normal” sized, the biggest is 5m…c) if you’d put the colossus in you’d also have to put in the Zeus statue, the buddhas in Afghanistan, the jesus statue in rio, the varus monument in Germany and of course the statue of liberty, which doesn’t leave enough room for actual Sculptures Melbourne… But hey feel free to write a list with the coloss in it, I’ve done half your work already anyways 74 SanityInspector December 14th, 2010 at 10:19 am A popular American sculpture from 100 years ago was The Hiker. This monument to the Spanish American War can be found in small towns all over the U.S. 75 SanityInspector December 14th, 2010 at 10:23 am I got to see it when I was a student, visiting the Louvre. It was at the end of a long gallery, and dramatically lit. Made quite an impression… 76 General Tits Von Chodehoffen December 14th, 2010 at 10:26 am I was hoping Michelangelo’s Pieta would be number one. It is far superior to the *****ty David, that is all disproportionate. 77 General Tits Von Chodehoffen December 14th, 2010 at 10:27 am Hell ya! 78 General Tits Von Chodehoffen December 14th, 2010 at 10:28 am Another fun fact: When David was first displayed it was considered too o*****e so it had a gold “man thong” on it. 79 General Tits Von Chodehoffen December 14th, 2010 at 10:30 am Most boring comment in a while 80 rawcookiedough December 14th, 2010 at 10:32 am This list should not only be longer but also elaborate a little more on the artistic value of each piece. Where are the Egyptian masterpieces? It seems to me the death mask of Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus is an obvious choice (also give a shout out to his dad for trying to fight the artistic establishment). What about Bernini? His own David is tremendous, or Pluto’s mesmerizing grip on poor Proserpina, the Anima Dannata… #9 seems to displease everyone. Chose the Barberini Faun (a personal favourite) or the Nike (Victory) of Samothrace instead. Or even Degas’ Little Dancer, which shocked the first patrons for being so offensively realistic and despising established canons of beauty. The Venus de Milo was the object of a tremendous publicity stunt when it was discovered; after the French had to return another, superior piece looted in the Napoleonic wars the authorities decided to push forward the Venus as something superlative, and it simply isn’t worthy of its fame. 81 General Tits Von Chodehoffen December 14th, 2010 at 10:35 am Depending on how you define great, the Belvedere Torso could also be up there. 82 backnineblues December 14th, 2010 at 10:51 am an interesting and unusual aspect about “the thinker” is that his right elbow is on his left leg. 83 Luis Francisco Rodriguez Lugo December 14th, 2010 at 10:54 am To me, “Laocoön and His Sons” should be on the list, top 5 84 rawcookiedough December 14th, 2010 at 11:08 am XD 85 rawcookiedough December 14th, 2010 at 11:21 am Speaking as a hot blooded straight woman… that thing makes me think naughty thoughts. 86 rawcookiedough December 14th, 2010 at 11:29 am It’s cold in the Accademia Gallery. Very cold… 87 Will Trame December 14th, 2010 at 11:30 am I like art lists. There were a lot of notable examples here. Another sculpture that I really liked was “Prometheus Bound”. Unfortunately, I cannot recall the artist’s name at this time. I believe that his surname began with the letters “Sz”. 88 General Tits Von Chodehoffen December 14th, 2010 at 11:38 am … I guess that means it would fall into your definition of great then. 89 Um.. December 14th, 2010 at 11:40 am Hmm, not to be a troll but I feel putting David at #1 was a cop-out. Sure its great, and by no means is it mediocre, and historically it contributed much to modern sculpture, but what of other great statues from the ancient times such as Laocoön and His Sons? 90 Julius December 14th, 2010 at 11:47 am Hmm my reply from the mobile version seems to have disappeared again… I’ll just type it out one more time. If you’re talking about the Starcraft 2 unit, then no, it doesn’t count, it’s too imba The Colossus of Rhodes doesn’t count either because it’s a) Freaking huge, almost of colossal proportions (:-D), whereas the biggest item in this list is 5m. b) It was destroyed some 2000+ years ago, all the Sculptures Melbourne in this list are easily accessible by going to a museum. c) If you include the Colossus you’d also have to include the other famous mega statues, the Zeus statue at Olympia, the Buddhas in Afghanistan, Christ the Redeemer in Rio, the varus monument in germany and of course, the Statue of Liberty. Feel free to write a list with the Colossus in it, I’ve done half your work already anyways 91 oliveralbq December 14th, 2010 at 11:50 am yeah…Sculptures Melbourne belong on this list, and statues belong on a statue list. 92 Brianalanvh December 14th, 2010 at 12:08 pm Seriously no statues by Bernini? and The Savana Bird Girl Statue ranked higher than Donatello’s David. This list is a joke! 93 oliveralbq December 14th, 2010 at 12:22 pm or maybe this: –these differentiations don’t seem to be rooted in absolution, but i’m not sure how much of a leeway would be acceptable to art people, or whoever else cares. —intent ——Sculptures Melbourne are æsthetic ——statues are representational (christ the redeemer is a statue; the fountain at jardin à la française is a sculpture). —creation ——Sculptures Melbourne are molded of primarily softer material ——statues are chipped away at, or carved (using harder mateirals) (hence: sand Sculptures Melbourne, and not sand statues) —depiction ——sculpture is a blanket term for any 3d work of art (æsthetic) ——statues usually depict a happening or person, event (representative) — and almost always depict a living thing, be it human, animal, battle b/w humans and cats — whatever (hence there is no existing statue of a castle or an x-box) —–every statue is a sculpture, but not all Sculptures Melbourne are statues. sculpture is a more encompassing term than statue. there are probably more technical differences that im not aware of, also. 94 swapie December 14th, 2010 at 12:27 pm Wow! David looks so gay in no 10! 95 JoYfulN0ise December 14th, 2010 at 12:32 pm Agreed. This was one of those lists when you know what number 1 is before you even open it 96 alexjamesk December 14th, 2010 at 12:32 pm It’s still missing two arms. 97 Jen December 14th, 2010 at 12:37 pm Actually Athena turned her into a Medusa because she was raped in Athena’s temple. Either by Zeus or Posiden, I can’t remember which. 98 Broi December 14th, 2010 at 12:43 pm Switch 2 with 4 and I’ll be happy. 99 Julius December 14th, 2010 at 12:48 pm Nope. 100 Randall December 14th, 2010 at 12:53 pm After a long absence, I’ve returned, to say that as lists go, this one is at best, “meh.” In the first place, the list writer makes the oft-repeated error of equating “most famous” with “best” or “greatest.” The mere fact that a work of art is very famous does not, in itself, say much about it’s aesthetic value or inherent artistic worth. Now, having said that, most of the choices on this list *do* belong here; however, the “bird girl” most certainly does not. Granted it has a haunting poignancy about it–no small quality in a sculpture–but that’s about it. Except for having been used to represent “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” (both on the cover of the book and in the film) it never would have been generally known. It’s just another piece of fairly commonplace funerary art, very non-descript and plain. If one wanted to include funerary art, there are *far* better examples, such as Michelangelo’s tombworks for Pope Julius and for Lorenzo de Medici. Next, a list of this kind that ignores Bernini is lacking in the extreme; he almost single-handedly defined the demarcation between the High Renaissance and Italian Baroque, and was a master of both. Bernini is only one of several sculptors from this period of Italy that could be mentioned, but his is the most glaring absence. Next, “Spencer,” in compounding his/her errors, chooses to include two of Rodin’s most well-known, but not necessarily greatest, works. Surely, yes, one could argue that either “The Thinker” or “The Kiss” belong on a list of this kind—but if one is truly interested in citing the works of the greatest artistic force from a particular sculptor, then for Rodin I would have first chosen his monumental representation of Honore de Balzac, surely one of the greatest and most powerful Sculptures Melbourne since the Classical Age. It’s overwhelming, whereas the other two works of Rodin—while great—are really merely iconic. Next point, Spencer–a “pieta” is ANY representation of Mary and the dead Christ—there are many examples of this both in sculpture and painting. However, one could say that Michelangelo’s is certainly the most famous and perhaps, yes, the greatest. The choice of “Lady Justice” here is another example of pandering to fame over true merit… and in fact, a nearly disingenuous one, seeing as Spencer isn’t even citing a particular version of the statue, but “Lady Justices” in general. This is absurd. Mass-produced works cannot and should not stand with the other items on this list; not that such works can’t sometimes be great on a certain level, but surely we’d all recognize that their artistic greatness–if it exists—is of an entirely different nature than that of a true masterpiece. And that too is lacking in this list: an elucidation of what makes a given work of art a masterpiece. Why were these particular works chosen, as opposed to others? There’s no real communication of the reason or the criteria. Lastly, I would point out all the great examples of sculpture that are missing here, from some of the works of Henry Moore, to Cellini, to ACTUAL works of the ancient Greeks. The only representations of Greek genius here are Roman copies of inferior quality; whereas true Greek works do still exist—such as the Charioteer of Delphi, the Zeus/Poseidon from the sea, the Elgin Marbles, the numerous examples of abstract Cycladian art–far older than Classical Greece–and so on. One could even have cited the great Greek works lost to us, such as the Zeus of Olympia, but I think that might be a kind of cheat. There are also truly powerful works of sculpture which pre-date the Classical world, and these too might have been mentioned. Lists of this kind are never easy; it’s difficult to pare down Art to a choice of ten. But if one is going to attempt it, one should do the homework more rigorously. 101 bluesfan1875 December 14th, 2010 at 12:54 pm I’m not sure this list should be called “10 greatest Sculptures Melbourne” it seems more like “10 most well known Sculptures Melbourne” 102 creator December 14th, 2010 at 1:04 pm Good list! The article needs more editing to clear out some silly mistakes. 103 General Tits Von Chodehoffen December 14th, 2010 at 1:13 pm Ya that’s kind of the point. 104 oouchan December 14th, 2010 at 1:16 pm Nice to see you posting again! Hope you are back to stay. 105 Randall December 14th, 2010 at 1:22 pm Thanks… we’ll see. My absence was due to a perfect storm of work/family/health issues combined with, unfortunately, a broken heart. (sniff). Yes, my heart can be broken, and yes, I do have a heart. 106 oouchan December 14th, 2010 at 1:28 pm 1) Hope you are doing better after all the issues. 2) Zen hug for broken heart. …and just for the sake of asking…it wasn’t the goat, was it? (my sense of humor outweighs my sense of compassion) 107 Randall December 14th, 2010 at 1:32 pm “my sense of humor outweighs my sense of compassion” Mine too, even for myself. And no, it wasn’t the goat. I’ll never make THAT mistake again. 108 Julie December 14th, 2010 at 1:34 pm Good list, but I’m a little disappointed that Antonio Canova’s “Ravishment of Psyche” wasn’t included… 109 Mr. S December 14th, 2010 at 1:38 pm it’s quite smaller compared to the upper part of the body because michelangelo actually intended it to be small because the statue is originally placed above the observers… if the statue were perfectly proportional, viewing it from the top would make the upper body smaller than the rest of the body(due to perspective!!!), but michelangelo literally made the upper body bigger to maintain perfect proportion when viewed from above…. if you can see, not only his dick is smaller but his legs too… thants how brillant Michelangelo is. 110 Mr. S December 14th, 2010 at 1:41 pm and the “ecstacy of st. theresa” should be on this list too… my second personal favorite sculpture.. 111 Alex December 14th, 2010 at 2:02 pm Good, list, though I would have liked to see a Bernini on it. 112 Blogball December 14th, 2010 at 3:05 pm Wow it’s just like old times . Good to see you back Randall 113 cambered December 14th, 2010 at 3:07 pm “every statue is a sculpture, but not all Sculptures Melbourne are statues. sculpture is a more encompassing term than statue. ” Thanks for articulating that one so well, Oli. That’s the angle I was looking at it from, in particular that statues are always representational; sculpture not necessarily so. 114 yellowfishy December 14th, 2010 at 3:13 pm Helloooooo !!! Finally ! I took a very wise decision today, because you see I chose to join WordPress today. I’ve been reading lists on here for like an eternity. And wellI thought time had come for me to be engaged to this site. So here I am writing my first comment, and hopefully my first of many to come “I assure you, don’t read my blog, it’s just nonsens, even I don’t understand it. Well at least I warned you (and no, I’m not trying to use reverse psychology on you )” ~Yellowfishy~ 115 Erin December 14th, 2010 at 3:45 pm I disagree with this title. As an Art Historian there are truly no ‘greatest’ Sculptures Melbourne. It would be more appropriate to title this “My Top 10 Favorite Sculptures Melbourne”. 116 VaJayJay December 14th, 2010 at 3:54 pm You should have mentioned that the bronze statue of David (#1) was created for a member of the Medici family who had an inclination toward young boys. He’s standing on the helmet so that the feather goes up between his legs with his toes balanced precariously on it. The black finish also makes the entire thing extremely sensuous, and if you really look at it the body is quite womanly. We had to discuss and *****yze that thing in art history for a loooonnng time. 117 undaunted warrior 1 December 14th, 2010 at 4:11 pm Welcome back I thought you had left us for good, missed your comments for a long time now. 118 mom424 December 14th, 2010 at 4:14 pm I’m so glad to see you’ve returned. We’ve had no-one stepping up to fill your ridiculously large boots; no expert on ancient Greece, that’s for damn sure. Maybe I could have that list on Art movements now? (no pressure, we’ll gently ramp up to it) I hope your health issues are under control now… as far as your broken heart? Consequence of loving and beats the alternative eh? Besides, my affection for you hasn’t waned. Welcome back! 119 Moonbeam December 14th, 2010 at 4:20 pm To try to narrow down all sculpture from the man’s earliest examples to most recent to just 10 was an impossible task. Nice try, but how about the 10 best of one era or another, or by the style, or subject matter? And what happened with the editing? There a re a ton of simple typos that it seems could have been caught. Take this from #7 “they suggested the less specific title Le Baiser (The Kiss).” As opposed to what original title which wasn’t even mentioned? By the way it was originally titled “Francesca Da Rimini”) 120 mom424 December 14th, 2010 at 4:22 pm I love this type of list – something that I know almost nothing about, but wished I did. The comments today were near as informative as the list; it appears that there was a huge miss eh? Bernini has been mentioned more than once, so I took a look. Way amazing. Someone mentioned the Rape of Proserpina and the gripping of flesh – I found a picture. This is definitely worthy of inclusion. More so than Venus… Still it’s a worthy effort. Would hope for more in this vein. 121 rain December 14th, 2010 at 4:37 pm Why were you looking at his penis? >_> 122 rain December 14th, 2010 at 4:39 pm If I’m rich. I will buy all of those Sculptures Melbourne and open my own museum. 123 Jamison December 14th, 2010 at 4:52 pm “Pieta” describes ALL statues of Mary holding the body of Jesus. Michaelangelo’s is certainly the most famous though. 124 Yomamma December 14th, 2010 at 4:56 pm Did anyone wear clothes back then? 125 Will Trame December 14th, 2010 at 5:33 pm Mount Rushmore. 126 mrjimmyos December 14th, 2010 at 6:34 pm Cool list, nice one listmaker. I was glad to see my favourite sculpture on there (the Pieta). Sculptures Melbourne are my favourite type of artwork and to see an accurate, fully fleshed out man or lady always amazes me, all the details and the presentation, not easy to pull off. Unfortunately I’m not as into Sculptures Melbourne as I would like to be, not yet anyways, so thanks for showing me some of the other great works I’ve not acknowledged as I would of liked to. ……………F*** YEAH! 127 ianthemagnificent December 14th, 2010 at 6:42 pm Yo Michelangelo I’m real happy for you but Bernini had one of the best Sculptures Melbourne of all time! 128 mrjimmyos December 14th, 2010 at 6:44 pm And you’d be disappointed if it wasn’t 129 ianthemagnificent December 14th, 2010 at 6:52 pm I agree it looks pretty poor. For example, which looks better? Venus de Medici: or Venus de Milo: And I don’t know anything about art – that’s just one example I stumbled across now. 130 ianthemagnificent December 14th, 2010 at 6:57 pm You don’t get points for bigness. 131 rtbradshaw December 14th, 2010 at 7:31 pm Yeah, the Venus de Medici is modeled on the Aphrodite of Knidos (Cnidus), which was sculpted by Praxiteles: Praxiteles pioneered the use of the S curve, a naturalistic and subtle curve in the body (in the Venus de Milo, the S curve his ham fisted and exaggerated. See this unflattering angle: