An Italian term for a base, plinth, pedestal, or lower supporting element beneath a statue, monument, or architectural member.
Zoccolo is an Italian architectural and artistic term for a base or lower supporting element. Treccani includes the base of a monument, statue, urn, or large vase among its uses.
In sculpture it describes the transition between the artwork and its architectural or display support.
Etymology
Italian zoccolo, from Latin socculus, diminutive of soccus, a low shoe or support.
Sculptor Notes
The base should not be treated as an afterthought. Its height, footprint, projection, and visual weight affect how the sculpture meets the floor, architecture, and viewer.
References
https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/zoccolo1/; https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/piedistallo/