Sculpted faces

This chapter investigates the role of sculpted faces in monuments and memorials, tracing their evolution from prehistory to the modern era. It provides a historical roadmap that illustrates how facial representations have been employed across diverse cultures – from early carvings and ancient Egyptian art, through classical, medieval, Renaissance and modern periods – to convey social, political and aesthetic meanings. Drawing on the theoretical framework established in Chapter 3 , this chapter examines how faces in monuments and memorials serve as visual symbols that not only embody dominant ideologies and cultural narratives, but also function as dynamic texts open to reinterpretation and resistance. It highlights the tension between the designers’ intentions and the users’ interpretation, showing how facial inscriptions contribute to collective memory and identity, while also reflecting processes of inclusion and exclusion. Ultimately, this analysis positions sculpted faces as pivotal elements in shaping the cultural landscape of urban space and sets the foundation for subsequent empirical investigations in later chapters.