What is the precise or well-defined definition of “statue”?

Shalom Aleichem

Both a jug and a statue are a chemical compound, an accumulation of molecules.

I can create both a jug and a sculpture for that matter from wood, stone, clay, metal, plastic, and any other material.

Everyone will agree that a vase, or a chair, or a table with legs is not a sculpture.

So what exactly is a statue?

Over and over again we hear that if they created a statue in the shape of a person or an animal but removed an essential part from it, such as the shape of one ear or the shape of one hand, etc., then it is no longer “a statue,” but is there any truth to this claim? In my opinion, no, because it is possible to create a statue of a chimera like the Sphinx, which is an imaginary hybrid between a human and an animal, and it also lacks something that humans lack but also lacks an animal, because as mentioned, it is an imaginary hybrid between them. But any reasonable person would agree that this is a statue for all intents and purposes, even though it is not exactly a statue of a human but not exactly a statue of an animal either.

So what exactly is a statue?

What turns a certain chemical compound into a sculpture?

With thanks
son