Maquette

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This article is about the architectural or sculptural model. For the Italian animator, please see Bruno Bozzetto.

A maquette by architect Lorenzo Winslow exploring the structure of the Grand Staircase at the White House.

A maquette (French word for scale model, sometimes referred to by the Italian name bozzetto) is a small scale model for a finished architectural work or a sculpture. It is used to visualise and test shapes and ideas without incurring the cost and effort of producing a full scale product. It is the analogue of the painter's cartoon or sketch. For commissioned sculptures, especially monumental public sculptures, a maquette may be used to show the client how the finished work will fit in the proposed site. The term may also refer to a prototype for a video game or any other type of prototype.

These works in progress can be at least as much sought after as completed works by highly regarded artists, showing the process of developing an idea. Gian Lorenzo Bernini, a sculptor from the Baroque period, made his bozzetti from wax or baked terracotta to show his patrons how the final piece was intended to look. Eleven of these bozzetti were displayed in an exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2004.^[1] Some museums specialise in collections of maquettes, such as the Museo dei Bozzetti in Pietrasanta, Italy.

The word "bozzetto" comes from the Italian word that means "sketch". Most often, the term refers to models who posed for sculpture; however, it also refers to painted sketches.