Sculpture is often regarded as a rather serious, even earnest art form. This may be influenced by the hardness and permanence of most materials used in sculpture. And much like early photography, where sitters typically were depicted as rather serious and formal, perhaps the softness that a smile can give is often not part of the brief to the sculptor. So I’d imagined that it would be difficult to find many examples of figurative sculpture and portrait busts showing people smiling, or even having a chuckle. Happily, I was wrong.

Here are examples of broad, happy smiles; from the earliest cheeky faces of gargoyles, to important figures from the past beaming from ear to ear, right through to creative contemporary sculpture.

Artists featured in this Curation: unknown artist, Shenda Amery (b.1937), Richard Sefton (1935 or 1936–2008), Nirava Kavya, David Tinker (1924–2000), Robert Glassby (1835–1892), Bruno Simon (1920–1999), Giacomo Manzù (Manzoni) (1908–1991), Margo Bulman (1913–2003), Andrew Sinclair (b.1961), and 44 more See all

65 artworks

Storyline Album Showcase

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Image credit: Historic Environment Scotland

Head Stop

Head Stop 14th C
unknown artist
Stone
H 13 x W 12 x D 11 cm
Historic Environment Scotland

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Betty Boothroyd (b.1929), Baroness Boothroyd OM, PC, Hon., FSLL

Betty Boothroyd (1929–2023), Baroness Boothroyd OM, PC, Hon., FSLL 2002
Shenda Amery (b.1937)
Bronze
H 63 x W 45 x D 20 cm
Sandwell Museums Service Collection

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James Hunt (1947–1993)

James Hunt (1947–1993)
Richard Sefton (1935 or 1936–2008)
Metal
H 14 x W 8.5 x D 8.5 cm
National Motor Museum Trust

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Image credit: National Museums Scotland

Head of a Gargoyle*

Head of a Gargoyle*
unknown artist
Stone
H 9.5 x W 9 x D 9.5 cm
National Museums Scotland

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Alfred Thomas Eggington (b.1888)

Alfred Thomas Eggington (b.1888)
Nirava Kavya
Bronze & wood
H 55 x W 42 x D 28 cm
Leicestershire County Council Museums Service

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Wynford Vaughan-Thomas (1908–1987), CBE

Wynford Vaughan-Thomas (1908–1987), CBE 1981
David Tinker (1924–2000)
Plaster
H 18 x W 15 x D 15 cm
Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru / The National Library of Wales

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Rt Hon. Clare Short (b.1946), MP

Rt Hon. Clare Short (b.1946), MP
Shenda Amery (b.1937)
Bronze
Keele University Art Collection

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Image credit: Rotherham Heritage Services

Primrose 1874
Robert Glassby (1835–1892)
Terracotta
H 36 x W 26 x D 22 cm
Rotherham Heritage Services

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Head of a Small Boy 1946
Bruno Simon (1920–1999)
Bronze
H 22.5 x W 4.4 x D 5.5 cm
Nottingham City Museums & Galleries

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Image credit: Sandwell Museums Service Collection

Lacquerware Holy Man

Hotei
unknown artist
Wood & lacquer
H 49 x W 22 x D 19 cm
Sandwell Museums Service Collection

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Bust of a Woman 1952
Giacomo Manzù (Manzoni) (1908–1991)
Bronze
H 60 x W 45 x D 32 cm
Estorick Collection, London

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Elsie Widdowson (1906–2000) 1974
Margo Bulman (1913–2003)
Bronze
H 31.5 x W 16.5 x D 20 cm
The Royal Society

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Dr Robert Woof (1931–2005) 2006
Andrew Sinclair (b.1961)
Bronze
H 35 x W 26.5 x D 27 cm
The Wordsworth Trust

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Lionel Tertis (1876–1975), Holding his Viola

Lionel Tertis (1876–1975), Holding his Viola 2006
Ben Dearnley (b.1964)
Bronze
H 63 x W 53.5 x D 40 cm
Royal Academy of Music

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Sir Naim Dangoor (1914–2015)

Sir Naim Dangoor (1914–2015) 2017
Nadey Hakim (b.1958)
Bronze
H 47 x W 43 x D 35 cm
Royal Society of Medicine

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Niki Lauda (1949–2019)

Niki Lauda (1949–2019)
Richard Sefton (1935 or 1936–2008)
Metal
H 14 x W 8.5 x D 9 cm
National Motor Museum Trust

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Image credit: National Museums Scotland

Laughing Boy

Laughing Boy mid-18th C
Joseph Nollekens (1737–1823) (possibly)
Terracotta
H 34.3 cm
National Museums Scotland

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Image credit: Keble College, University of Oxford

John Keble (1792–1866)

John Keble (1792–1866)
George Richmond (1809–1896)
Plaster
H 57.5 x W 28.5 x D 27 cm
Keble College, University of Oxford

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Image credit: The Stroud District (Cowle) Museum Trust Collection

Mirth

Mirth
Joshua Wall (1835–1869) (possibly)
Plaster & granite
The Stroud District (Cowle) Museum Trust Collection

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'Now ... call forth your actors'

'Now ... call forth your actors' 1973
Nancy Edwards (b.1926)
Fibreglass
H 134 x W 100 x D 90 cm
Chelmsford Museums

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Johnny the Jig

Johnny the Jig 1952
Sophia Rosamond Praeger (1867–1954)
Plaster
H 105 x W 44 x D 40 cm
Ards and North Down Borough Council

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Bust of an Unknown Mayor
George Alfred Holman (1911–1980)
Plaster
H 50.7 x W 46.5 x D 24 cm
Southend Museums Service

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Max Miller (1894–1963)

Max Miller (1894–1963) 2003–2005
Peter Webster (b.1958)
Bronze & limestone facing over concrete
H 276 x W 60 x D 60 cm

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John Bird as a Boy

John Bird as a Boy c.1925–1935
Cecil Thomas (1885–1976)
Bronze
H 34 x W 19 x D 21 cm
Roebuck Collection

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Image credit: Manchester Art Gallery

Mischief (L'espiegle)

Mischief (L'espiegle)
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (1827–1875)
Bronze
H 51.5 x W 24 x D 26 cm
Manchester Art Gallery

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Ray Gravell (1951–2007)

Ray Gravell (1951–2007) 2010
John Meirion Morris (1936–2020)
Bronze
H 31 x W 21 x D 18 cm
Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru / The National Library of Wales

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Image credit: Durham University

Canon Thomas Gisborne (1758–1846)

Canon Thomas Gisborne (1758–1846) 1840
Charles Raymond Smith (c.1799–1888)
Marble
H 70.5 x W 49.5 x D 27 cm
Durham University

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Linda

Linda 1951
Barbara Tribe (1913–2000)
Terracotta & wood
H 23 x W 16.5 x D 13 cm
Penlee House Gallery & Museum

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Image credit: The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery

Alexander I (1777–1825)
Enoch Wood (1759–1840)
Biscuitware
H 51 x W 70 x D 26 cm
The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery

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Image credit: The Munnings Art Museum

Charlotte Gray c.1908
Edwin Whitney-Smith (1880–1952) (after)
Plaster
H 42 x W 13.5 x D 14 cm
The Munnings Art Museum

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Image credit: Horniman Museum and Gardens

Rakan, Han-Taku-Ka Figure 1868–1912
unknown artist
Porcelain, paint & gilding
H 22.9 cm
Horniman Museum and Gardens

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Seated Children 1934
Sophia Rosamond Praeger (1867–1954)
National Trust, Gunby Hall

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Ian Ricketts 2012
Christine Charlesworth (b.1949)
Bronze
H 47 x W 42 x D 25 cm
University of Surrey

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Lord Lindsay of Birker (1879–1952)

Lord Lindsay of Birker (1879–1952)
Jacob Epstein (1880–1959)
Plaster
H 41 x W 25 x D 25 cm
Keele University Art Collection

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Professor C. G. Chesters (1904–1993), Professor of Botany and Head of Department of Botany (1944–1969)

Professor C. G. Chesters (1904–1993), Professor of Botany and Head of Department of Botany (1944–1969) 1993
Gordon C. Brown
Bronze & marble
H 43 x W 38 x D 19.5 cm
The University of Nottingham

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Moyang Pipit (the Sparrow Spirit)

Moyang Pipit, the Sparrow Spirit 1989
Semi bin Awas (active 1987–1989)
Wood
H 30.5 x W 13.5 x D 19.5 cm
Horniman Museum and Gardens

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Image credit: Brighton & Hove Museums

Nubian Man

Nubian Man
Ambros Bei (1848–1926)
Plaster
H 65 x W 54 x D 30 cm
Brighton & Hove Museums

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Image credit: Torquay Museum

Durga c.1900
unknown artist
Alabaster
H 35 x W 22 x D 10 cm
Torquay Museum

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Image credit: Burton Constable Hall

Marianne (1800–1862), Lady Clifford Constable

Marianne (1800–1862), Lady Clifford Constable 1830s
Lorenzo Bartolini (1777–1850)
Marble
H 79 x W 49 x D 29 cm
Burton Constable Hall

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David Lloyd George (1863–1945) as a Corbel 1920
William Alex Culliford
Wood
H 38 x W 19.9 x D 18.2 cm
Amgueddfa Lloyd George Museum

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The April Fool

The April Fool 1978
Anthony Earnshaw (1924–2001)
Plastic & wood
H 50.5 x W 34 x D 14.3 cm
Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre

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Second Portrait of George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)

Second Portrait of George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) 1934
Jacob Epstein (1880–1959)
Cast bronze
H 40.5 x W 22.5 x D 28 cm
Bolton Library & Museum Services, Bolton Council

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Lydia Lopokova (1892–1981)

Lydia Laughing 1960
Jacob Epstein (1880–1959)
Bronze
H 41 x W 24 x D 27 cm
University of Aberdeen

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Image credit: Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum

The Doctor Laughs

The Doctor Laughs 1880–1900
Percy Fitzgerald (1834–1925) (attributed to)
Plaster
H 28 x W 17.5 x D 12.5 cm
Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum

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Donald Campbell (1921–1967), World Land and Water Speed Record Holder

Donald Campbell (1921–1967), World Land and Water Speed Record Holder 1964
Christian Forward (active 1964)
Clay
H 30 x W 17 x D 13 cm
The Ruskin Museum

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Bust of Boy
John Griffiths
Wood
H 26.5 x W 29.5 cm
Wigan Arts and Heritage Service

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Tragi-Comic 2002
Patricio Grose Forrester (b.1967)
Oil on raquet cover
H 80.5 x W 26.5 x D 3 cm
Essex Collection of Art from Latin America

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Mr Nadhmi Auchi (b.1937), Philanthropist

Mr Nadhmi Auchi (b.1937), Philanthropist 2005
Nadey Hakim (b.1958)
Bronze
H 57 x W 46 x D 26 cm
Royal Society of Medicine

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Lewis Falk (d.1954), President of the Letchworth Arts Society, Owner of the Garden City Embroidery Works, Chairman of 'The Settlement'

Lewis Falk (d.1954), President of the Letchworth Arts Society, Owner of the Garden City Embroidery Works, Chairman of 'The Settlement'
Mark Harvey (b.1913)
Bronze
H 50 x W 49 x D 27 cm
Garden City Collection

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Head of a Girl
Thomas Bayliss Huxley-Jones (1908–1968) and Gwynneth Holt (1909–1995)
Plaster
H 16 x W 10 x D 16 cm
Chelmsford Museums

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Image credit: Taylor Institution, University of Oxford

Voltaire (1694–1778) 18th C
Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741–1828)
Marble
H 48 x W 21 x D 17 cm
Taylor Institution, University of Oxford

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Chin Fan

Chin Fan
Jean Illich (active 1924 or before)
Bronze
H 43 x W 23 x D 11 cm
Williamson Art Gallery & Museum

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Image credit: Brighton & Hove Museums

Italian Shepherd Boy

Quanto ti vo bene (Italian Shepherd Boy) 1889
Cesare Lapini (b.1848)
Alabaster
H 83 x W 29 x D 49 cm
Brighton & Hove Museums

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Robot Family

Robot Family c.1975
Simon Axford Jones (active c.1975)
Concrete

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Man and Woman
A. Kaven
Wood
H 19.2 x W 10.6 x D 5.5 cm
Emery Walker's House

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'Oor Wullie': Verdant Works Statue

'Oor Wullie': Verdant Works Statue 2016
Pam Kelly (b.1964)
Resin & paint
H 16.8 x W 21.5 x D 12.3 cm
Dundee Heritage Trust

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Sir (Howard) Kingsley Wood (1881–1943)

Sir (Howard) Kingsley Wood (1881–1943) 1982
Peter Lambda (1911–1995)
Bronze
H 25.4 cm
National Portrait Gallery, London

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Image credit: Nottingham City Museums & Galleries

Head of a Smiling Girl

Head of a Smiling Girl
William Reynolds-Stephens (1862–1943)
Plaster
H 21.5 x W 11 x D 12.5 cm
Nottingham City Museums & Galleries

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Diddlin’ Davie

Diddlin’ Davie
Ernest J. Lang
Plaster
H 40 x W 34 x D 30 cm
Glenesk Folk Museum

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Sculpted Pole

Sculpted Pole
Tom Leach (1973–2009) and John Marder
Wood
H 560 x W 45 x D 45 cm

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Clementine, the Living Fashion Doll

Clementine, the Living Fashion Doll 2014
Mark Mander (b.1980)
Wood, paint, textiles & feathers
H 51 x W 40 x D 3.5 cm
Bruce Castle Museum (Haringey Archive and Museum Service)

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