Bas-relief
Bas-relief is sculpture in which figures project slightly from a flat background, with forms remaining attached to the supporting surface.
Relief sculpture: Sculpture in which forms project from a supporting background rather than standing freely. Bas-relief is the shallowest major form of relief sculpture.
Sculpture: Three-dimensional art made by shaping, carving, casting, or assembling material. Bas-relief is a sculptural form that remains attached to a background.
Ancient Egyptian art: The visual arts produced in ancient Egypt, including sculpture, painting, and decorated objects. Egyptian temples and tombs preserve extensive examples of carved shallow relief.
Architectural sculpture: Sculpture integrated into buildings, often as decoration or as part of their structural design. Bas-relief can enrich walls and façades without projecting far from them.
Gates of Paradise: A set of gilded bronze doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti for the Florence Baptistery, completed in the fifteenth century. Ghiberti varied relief depth to create perspective across crowded biblical scenes.
High relief: Relief sculpture in which figures project substantially from their background, sometimes nearly detaching from it. Its deeper projection clarifies how bas-relief keeps figures close to the background.
Carving: A process of shaping a material by removing portions with tools. Stone and wood bas-reliefs are often made by cutting material away.
Assyrian art: The art of the ancient Assyrian empire, noted for palace reliefs and monumental sculpture. Assyrian palace panels used shallow relief to depict campaigns, rituals, and court life.
Frieze: A horizontal band of decoration, often sculpted or painted, running along a building or room. Bas-relief is a common way to place narrative figures across a frieze.
Ara Pacis Augustae: The Roman Altar of Augustan Peace, erected in Rome during the reign of Augustus. Its carved processions combine shallow figures with deeper relief for visual hierarchy.