Unique Fine Art: Dinosaur Sculptures

Dinosaurs are a universal talking point. The mystery and the sheer size of the animals is part of the allure, and the fact that life-sized replicas of dinosaur fossils are relatively easy to visit makes it possible to imagine a world in which dinosaurs are alive today.

With over seven hundred different species and more to be discovered, they are an incredibly exciting subject that’s popular with adults and children alike. It’s no wonder that dinosaurs are the hot theme for children’s birthday parties, where the dinosaur decorations are bright, colorful, and juvenile. It is possible, however, to do dinosaur decorations in a mature and refined way, as we can see by examining stunning dinosaur sculptures by Nelson Maniscalco.

About the Dinosaur Sculpture Artist

Nelson Maniscalco is a world-renowned sculptor and professor at Cedar Crest College in Pennsylvania and has been for more than thirty-five years. He had art on display with Maxilla & Mandible, Ltd, which was the world’s only osteological store, and in various museums including the American Museum of Natural History. Some of his patrons include famous filmmaker Steven Spielberg, and horror author Steven King. Maniscalco creates one of a kind dinosaur fossil sculptures made of bronze that beautifully capture the dinosaurs’ energy, movement, and excitement. His art is recognized as being anatomically correct and makes stunning dinosaur decorations.

About the Dinosaurs

The Three-Horned Face Herbivore: Triceratops 

The Triceratops is one of the most widely recognized species of dinosaurs with its distinctive skull featuring a bird-like beak, huge frill, and three horns. As vicious as this dinosaur appears, with its face made of weapons and armor, he ate only vegetation. The horns and frill were most likely used as a defense to fend off attacks from Tyrannosaurus. Unlike other horned dinosaurs, Triceratops likely spent their lives mostly alone, as the dinosaur fossils are often discovered by themselves as opposed to in groups like other horned species. Maniscalco’s Bronze Triceratops Sculpture captures the solitude of the Triceratops in a defensive position. At approximately 15 x 6 inches at the base, he is a stunning dinosaur decoration to display in your home or office.

The Terrible Claw: Deinonychus 

Much smaller than the Triceratops, Deinonychus was only about three meters long and weighed approximately one hundred and sixty-five pounds. But as small as it was, comparatively, this dinosaur was a vicious predator. It could rip prey apart with one kick using its large, single claw on each foot. It feasted on other dinosaurs and then held its giant claw out of the way when not in use, so as to keep it as sharp as possible. Its long tail was used to counterbalance the weight of his body, but dinosaur fossils found with the tail in an "S" position indicate that their tails were also extremely flexible and could be waved from side to side. At 7 x 3.5 inches at the base, Maniscalco’s Bronze Deinonychus Sculpture may sound small, but the energy and movement are masterfully captured to give viewers a sense of the small, but mighty power this dinosaur demonstrated.

The Chicken Mimic: Gallimimus 

These agile dinosaurs lived in what is now called Mongolia and were opportunistic omnivores. They were relatively intelligent, like ostriches or emus, and large groups of these dinosaur fossils uncovered together suggest that they lived in herds. Similar to Triceratops, Gallimimus also had beaks; however they had no teeth and their lower jaw was relatively fragile. Maniscalco beautifully embodies the speed of the Gallimimus in his Bronze Gallimimus Sculpture. At approximately 7 x 5 inches at its base, this handsome dinosaur is a more understated dinosaur decoration option and is suitable for display on a shelf or in bookcase. 

The Quick Plunderer: Velociraptor 

Even smaller than the Deinonychus was the Velociraptor. In fact, Velociraptors were much smaller than humans at just under two meters long and weighing only fifteen pounds, about the size of a wild turkey. These feathered and vicious carnivores are widely recognized as well, thanks to movies like Jurassic Park. However, Jurassic Park portrayed the Velociraptors as about twice their actual size. Scientists criticized the movie for being unrealistic, but interestingly enough, soon after the first movie’s release, another genus of the same type of dinosaur was discovered.

Utahraptor was actually even larger than the film’s depiction of the Velociraptor. These dinosaurs were speedy on their two hind legs and used their oversized talons to shred and disembowel their prey. Another genus of dromaeosaurid, like the Deinonychus, Velociraptor dinosaur fossils show that their tails had more flexibility than once was thought. The Bronze Velociraptor Sculpture by Nelson Maniscalco is about 4 ¾ x 4 ¾ inches at the base and would make the perfect addition to a compact area. 

A “Battle to the Death”: Tyrannosaurus Rex 

Even someone who is utterly uninterested in dinosaurs is familiar with the beast that was the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Weighing in at well over fifteen thousand pounds and twelve meters long, these giants had sixty pointy, bone-crushing, saw-edged teeth and ate other dinosaurs in their entirety. Fossilized dung has been analyzed and shown to contain the bones of other dinosaurs.

The T-Rex is known as the most fearsome animal of all time and had a bite that was at least three times more powerful than that of a lion. Most likely solitary beings, no T-Rex fossils have been discovered in groups. Their fossils do, however, show bite marks from others of the same genus, so we can conclude that they were aggressive towards each other and likely fought over both food and mates. Maniscalco’s Bronze Tyrannosaurus Rex Sculpture named “Battle to the Death” depicts their aggression. One T-Rex lays on its back as it attempts to fend off the aggressor. This anatomically correct sculpture is an interesting conversation piece. Its base is about 6.5 x 4 inches, with the sculpture’s longest point being 17.5 inches, making quite a statement as well.

Our Dinosaur Sculpture Options

We pride ourselves on having a curated selection that has a perfectly unique gift for anyone that you want to wow on any occasion. Whether you are a dinosaur fanatic or find the species merely interesting, these bronze sculptures by world-renowned sculptor Nelson Maniscalco, take dinosaur decorations from childish to sophisticated and are sure to bring the mystery of the dinosaurs to life in your home or office.