Clay sculptures statues and carvings and statues in various other materials have been discovered in India and other parts of the world which date back to pre-historic times. This shows that sculpting has been appreciated as an artistic form of expression since ancient times. Some of the oldest sculptures were made out of materials like ivory and stone but the fact that making clay sculptures was also practiced is evident in the many animal clay sculptures like clay dog sculptures and various human clay sculptures that date back to that era.

As opposed to ceramic sculpture, clay sculptures are easier to create because of the flexibility of the material as well as its availability. This is why clay sculptures were some of the first sculptures to be made in any part of the world. Small statuettes of the Goddess Venus which have been discovered in Europe are testimony of this fact. Figurines such as these also have great historical value because the clay that gets tougher through time can be deciphered to reveal a lot of information about that era. For example terracotta figures of Chinese soldiers which date back to over two thousand years ago tell us about the culture and beliefs of that era. Each of these figurines is depicted with a different face, different armor and different weapons, a fact which speaks volumes about the artists' attention to detail. Few contemporary clay sculptures can be seen to exhibit that same degree of expertise or attention as modern artists rarely use the destructible media in their works. Modern clay sculptures usually serve a more functional rather than artistic purpose.