Reliëfschemas

Reliëfschemas are structured representations used in art history and museum informatics to describe and categorize relief artworks according to a standardized schema. The term combines reliëf (relief) and schema, and is used in Dutch-language scholarship as well as in broader European museology as part of metadata vocabularies for relief works.

Typical reliëfschemas cover several dimensions of relief: depth of relief (bas-relief, alto-relief, sunk relief), spatial arrangement (frieze, panel, architectural setting), subject matter and iconography, technique and materials, scale, and condition. They may also encode formal features such as line work, modelling, and surface treatment, and allow notes on provenance and period. The aim is to provide a consistent framework for describing diverse reliefs across cultures and eras.

In practice, reliëfschemas serve to standardize metadata in catalogues, databases, and digital collections, enabling more effective search, comparison, and aggregation of reliefs from different institutions. They support scholarly analysis of stylistic programs, distribution, and workshop practices, as well as public access and curation.

Development and implementation typically take the form of controlled vocabularies or ontologies that can be integrated into collection management systems and linked data environments. They are often designed to align with broader standards in cultural heritage, such as CIDOC-CRM or thesauri like the Getty AAT, to improve interoperability while allowing room for regional and temporal variation.

See also: relief, bas-relief, alto-relief, sunk relief, iconography, typology, controlled vocabulary, ontology, museum informatics.