by PlasticandRage Sat Nov 24, 2012 10:30 pm
^ A lot of ancient statuaries are actually like that. The reason is actually simpler than you'd think. In ancient Europe, for example, a lot of times artists would be commissioned by the state to decorate public areas, like markets, which were often run by guilds, like specific kinds of merchant guilds, more specifically groups like fabric workers, and farmers, but usually the principles were metal workers, like blacksmiths. A lot of times when those statues were made the artist would make them specifically to showcase whatever guild was associated with the area and their wares. So a lot of times statues would be hold real metal weaponry and be clad in real metal armors. Most of them no longer exist because they've been stolen during wars, and what have you, or destroyed, but you can see where they were in a lot of ancient sculptures because they all have empty holes where all the pieces of armor fit in and where they would have held the weapons. Kinda cool huh? Sort of like ancient advertising and product placement.
Here's an example: Donatello's St. George. It no longer has the extra pieces, but if examined closely you can see small holes, the obvious one in its hand, and the less evident one at the center of its hairline, where a bronze sword and helmet used to fit. They'd be constructed with small pegs so they'd hold indefinitely, hence the holes. A lot of them would be clad in full armors too.