Relief Sculpture

Relief sculpture is three-dimensional but since it is attached to a background it portrays a two-dimensional feature. Relief in itself can be broken down into three major types they are bas-relief, alto-relief and sunken-relief.  Sporre stated that the sculptors “have a free choice of subjects and need not worry about their positions or supports” (69). The three types of relief explain Sporres argument.  Bas-relief barley extends past the base; the figures project partially from the background you can see it in Roman and Greek buildings.  Alto-relief has a high degree of relief, in which the figurines stand out from the background to half of their natural depth.  Egyptians are known for their sculptures on their temples of the ancient pharaohs.  Sunken-relief is an image carved onto the base itself and has a negative degree of relief.  The image below shows the three types of relief that Sporre talks about. 



http://www.vroma.org/images/raia_images/marsaltar.jpg