Sentence:  Whenever artists , indeed , turned to actual <WSD>representations</WSD> or molded three-dimensional figures , which were rare down to 800 B.C. , they tended to reflect reality ( see Plate 6a , 9b ) ; a schematic , abstract treatment of men and animals , by intent , rose only in the late eighth century . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  a creation that is a visual or tangible rendering of someone or something