reliëfcarving

Relief carving is a form of sculpture in which the figures or motifs are carved from, and remain attached to, a solid background. The image projects from the background to varying depths, creating a sense of relief. Relief is commonly divided into bas-relief (low relief), high relief (haut-relief or alto-relief in some contexts), and sunk-relief, in which the design is carved below the surrounding surface.

In bas-relief, forms barely extend from the background, with shallow depth and restrained modeling; in high relief, figures may stand out significantly from the background and often feature stronger undercutting. Sunk-relief techniques carve designs so that the figures are lower than the surrounding plane, a method frequently used for architectural or decorative purposes.

Relief carving has been practiced in a wide range of materials, including stone (limestone, marble, schist), wood, terracotta, plaster, and metal. Tools traditionally include chisels, gouges, and mallets, with modern practitioners using rotary tools and abrasives as needed. Techniques involve modeling, undercutting, and careful control of light and shadow to emphasize depth and readability on a flat background.

Historically, relief sculpture appears across many cultures: in ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome; in medieval ecclesiastical art; in Renaissance and Baroque decorative programs; and throughout non-Western traditions such as Asian temple reliefs and Mesoamerican stone work. It serves decorative, narrative, commemorative, and architectural functions, appearing on friezes, capitals, portals, sarcophagi, altarpieces, and public monuments.

Relief carving remains a fundamental technique in sculpture and decorative arts, prized for its ability to tell stories and convey texture while maintaining a connection to a background plane. The term reliëfcarving is used in some languages to describe this practice.