Statue vs. Mannequin

Main Difference

The main difference between Statue and Mannequin is that the Statue is a sculpture primarily concerned as a representational figure and Mannequin is a doll or statue used to show clothing in a store.

• Statue

  A statue is a sculpture, representing one or more people or animals (including abstract concepts allegorically represented as people or animals), free-standing (as opposed to a relief) and normally full-length (as opposed to a bust) and at least close to life-size, or larger.

  A small statue, usually small enough to be picked up, is called a statuette or figurine, while one that is more than twice life-size is called a colossal statue.

  The definition of a statue is not always clear-cut; equestrian statues, of a person on a horse, are certainly included, and in many cases, such as a Madonna and Child or a Pietà, a sculpture of two people will also be.

  Statues have been produced in many cultures from prehistory to the present; the oldest known statue dating to about 30,000 years ago. The world’s tallest statue, Spring Temple Buddha, is 128 metres (420 ft), and is located in Lushan County, Henan, China.

  Many statues are built on commission to commemorate a historical event, or the life of an influential person. Many statues are intended as public art, exhibited outdoors or in public buildings. Some statues gain fame in their own right, separate from the person or concept they represent, as with the Statue of Liberty.

• Mannequin

  A mannequin (also called a manikin, dummy, lay figure or dress form) is an often articulated doll used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, windowdressers and others especially to display or fit clothing. The term is also used for life-sized dolls with simulated airways used in the teaching of first aid, CPR, and advanced airway management skills such as tracheal intubation and for human figures used in computer simulation to model the behavior of the human body. During the 1950s, mannequins were used in nuclear tests to help show the effects of nuclear weapons on humans.

  Mannequin comes from the French word mannequin, which had acquired the meaning “an artist’s jointed model”, which in turn came from the Flemish word manneken, meaning “little man, figurine”. In early use in the United Kingdom, it referred to fashion models themselves, the meaning as a dummy dating from the start of World War II.