About This Quiz
Are you a world traveler? Consider yourself a bit of a historian with a love of world culture? Then take this quiz! Can you identify these famous statues, sculptures, and monuments by looking at just one image? Prove it and challenge your friends!Kamagaya Great Buddha statue in Japan is so small - 1.8 meters tall - that visitors walk right past it! The statue was created around 1776.
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The large Dordenma statue of Shakyamuni Buddha in Bhutan has a height of 51.5 meters. Gilded in gold, the statue itself is made of pure bronze. It was completed in 2015.
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Bourgeois de Calais, or The Burghers of Calais, by the sculptor Auguste Rodin, commemorates part of the Hundred Years' War. Under French law, only twelve original casts can be made of any Rodin sculpture; there are copies of the whole group of six figures and some individual figures.
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The Pieta is a Renaissance sculpture by the renowned artist, Michelangelo. The Carrera marble statue is on display at St. Peter's Basilica and is the only piece to which the famed sculptor ever signed his name.
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The 19th-century Bavaria statue is cast in bronze. The mighty woman, with a lion by her side, represents the people of Bavaria. A staircase inside the statue leads up to the woman's head, offering a view of the the Theresienwiese and downtown Munich.
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The South African War Memorial in Adelaide, Australia, is an equestrian statue by sculptor Captain Adrian Jones. Also known as the Boer War Memorial, the statue honors those who fought in the Second Boer War, from 1899-1902.
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Luang Pu, a spiritual leader and sculptor, envisioned and created the Sala Keoku Sculpture Park in Thailand. These pieces are inspired by Buddhism and Hinduism. Many of them are as tall as 25 meters, and they represent the neverending cycle of life. The mummified body of sculptor Pu is enshrined at the park.
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The Berlin Victory Column, unveiled in 1873, is dedicated to those who fought in the Prussian War. From its observation deck, one can view all of Berlin.
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The Winged Victory of Samothrace, also known as the Nike of Samothrace, is an incomplete masterpiece. The artist's vision for the head and facial expression, for example, has been lost to time. Some parts have been reconstructed, including the right wing, which is a mirror image of a cast of the left wing.
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Dog on the Tuckerbox is an homage to folk stories from early Australian pioneers and explorers. This particular story involves a dog guarding his master's tucker - or food supplies.
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This statue depicts George Brown, a famous Canadian politician who was born in Scotland. He was one of the Fathers of Confederation and also the founder and editor of the Toronto Globe.
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Bismarck Monument stands as a memorial to Otto Von Bismarck, the first German chancellor. This monument in Hamburg is onsidered to be the most well known of the 250 or so statues of Bismarck.
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The Maligawila Buddha was carved in the 7th century from a single block of limestone. The figure stands about 14 meters tall - the largest freestanding Buddha in Sri Lanka.
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Christ of the Sacred Heart is a 75-foot statue in El Morro, Mexico. The head, chest, and arms are made of iron, while the rest is made of fiberglass.
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The Sir John A. Macdonald statue stands at the entrance to Victoria Park in Canada. The bronze statue was cast in five pieces, then soldered together. Macdonald was the first Prime Minister of Canada.
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The Maman Spider stands or creeps at over 30 feet high and 33 feet wide. The Louise Bourgeois sculpture is made of bronze and steel, plus an egg sac with 26 marble eggs. Maman is a French word for mother.
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The Champlain Statue stands in Ontario as an homage to the famous navigator and seaman, Samuel de Champlain. The statue overlooks the Ottawa River.
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Map the Miner, also known as Map Kernow or Son of Cornwall, is a sculpture that honors the mining history of Kapunda, Australia. It was destroyed by fire in 2006, but it was rebuilt on the same site in just over a year.
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Ushiku Daibutsu stands as the tallest Buddha and one of the three tallest statues in the world as of 2016, at 120 meters It was built in 1993 and weighs 4,000 tons. An elevator inside the statue goes up to a viewing gallery.
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Christ of the Abyss, near the Italian Riviera, is an underwater statue with arms stretched toward the heavens. The statue is a memorial to Italian diver Dario Gonzatti, who lost his life while scuba diving at that location in 1947.
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The Buddhas of Bamiyan were carved in high relief into the side of a cliff. Their heads and feet were carved out in such a manner as to allow visitors to walk around the figures - an act which is important in Buddhism. The Buddhas were destroyed in 2001 by Taliban forces.
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Cristo Rei of Dili features an image of Jesus balancing on a globe. Mochamad Syailillah, who is better known as Bolil, designed the statue. East Timor is one of only two Christian nations in Southeast Asia.
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The Leshan Giant Buddha is the largest stone Buddha in the world. The statue is located at the confluence of three rivers - Min River, Qingyi River, and Dadu River. It took thousands of workers 90 years to construct, from 713 to 803 in the Tang Dynasty.
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The Avukana Buddha, carved in granite, stands over 40 feet tall. The body height equals the height of nine faces - this proportion was typically followed by sculptors in the area in the 8th century.
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Constructed in 1899, the Statue of Oliver Cromwell sits outside the House of Commons. Completed in 1899, it honors the Lord Protector of the British Isles.
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The Kelpies are two horse-head statues that form a gate to two canals in Scotland. The sculpture is a monument to horse power.
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Sculpted by Rodin, The Age of Bronze is a life-sized nude male of no identifiable occupation or status. First displayed in 1877, it is also known as The Awakening Man or The Vanquished One.
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The Farnese Hercules is a representation of the Ancient Greek God Hercules, resting with the skin of a lion and a club. The marble sculpture, dated 216 AD, is believed to be a copy of an even older work.
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Located in Henan, China, the Spring Temple Buddha stands tall at 128 meters atop a lotus throne. It was completed in 2008 and is the tallest statue in the world, as of 2016.
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Manneken Pis means "little pee man" in Flemish, and that describes this sculpture. The little boy is doing his thing into the fountain. The sculpture is made of bronze and somehow has become the iconic image of Brussels. Citizens dress him in different costumes to celebrate holidays throughout the year.
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Guishan Guanyin of the Thousand Hands and Eyes depicts Avalokitesvara, a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. This bronze work stands 99 meters tall and was completed in 2009.
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Mount Nemrut is supposedly where the Biblical King Nimrod was laid to rest. Various stone statues were placed near the summit of Mount Nemrut, all seated, all of which have had their heads removed and scattered about, probably due to religious or political differences.
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The Little Mermaid honors the famous story by Hans Christian Andersen. This mermaid sits on a rock overlooking the water in Copenhagen and is the city's most-photographed statue. Over the years she has lost her head and an arm, and she has even been knocked off her pedestal, but she still survives.
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The Motherland Calls was built in commemoration of the Battle of Stalingrad. The statue is the largest one of a female in the world, but it is leaning and in danger of toppling into the Volga River.
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Venus de Milo is most likely a sculpture of Aphrodite, known as the goddess of love and beauty in Greek mythology. The work was found damaged and her arms have never been recovered. She originally wore metal jewelry, long lost, and only the fastening holes remain. This marble masterpiece is part of the collection of the Louvre in Paris.
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The Terracotta Army is part of an incredible burial complex for Emporer Qin of China. The long-buried army was discovered by farmers digging a well in 1974. Soldiers, horses, and chariots are depicted. The site is 20 square miles thus far. One pit remained empty, perhaps because it was unfinished when the emperor died.
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These stone lions face east, toward the Sacred Lake of Delos, to honor the god Apollo. There are only five left of the original 12 to 16, and even they are only marble replicas. The originals are indoors in a nearby museum, protected from the weather and from vandals.
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The Moai are giant human figures who stand guard on Easter Island. They were carved by the Rapa Nui in 1500 AD or earlier. Some remain at the quarry, while others - very heavy - have been moved to the edges of the island. People think of them as heads, because the heads are so large, but they actually have small bodies as well, some buried.
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This is a piece dedicated to Dante, author of the Divine Comedy, as he sits lost in thought; he considers his work in general and the inferno of Hell. The sculpture was also known as The Poet. Auguste Rodin, the sculptor, lived from 1840 to 1917.
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This monolith in Egypt takes us back to the time of the great Pharoahs. With the body of a lion and head of a man, it looks to be on guard and ready to protect at a moment's notice. Some experts believe, however, that the head was originally that of a lion and later recarved. It is 241 feet long and 66 feet high.
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Michelangelo's David depicts the Biblical hero that became king of Israel. David is a favorite subject of artisans in Florence. When it was completed in 1504, it was transported around the city of Florence in a wooden cage, sliding on greased beams.
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Built in France as a gift to the United States, the Statue of Liberty stands on Liberty Island, near Ellis Island, as a gateway to all those that would immigrate to this land. Although she has a 35-foot waistline and weighs 225 tons, she is lovely and inspiring.
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Christ the Redeemer took nine years to construct and is covered in 6 million soapstone tiles. Workers sometimes wrote personal messages on the back of the tiles before attaching them. This depiction of Christ stands 30 meters tall, overlooking the city of Rio like a protector. The statue is frequently struck by lightning - once it lost the tip of a finger during a storm.
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The Olmec Colossal Heads have been found at three sites - La Venta, San Lorenzo, and Tres Zapotez - along the Gulf Coast of Mexico. All of them are carved from Basalt. Seventeen have been found thus far, each weighing about 8 tons. Experts believe they were originally painted bright colors.
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Great Buddha at Ling Shan weighs over 700 tons and stands at 88 meters, making it one of the largest in the world. It is cast out of bronze.
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