Relief

In the art of sculpture, a relief is an artwork where a modelled form projects out of a flat background. Tensed musculature itself may be seen to be in relief. Depending on the depth involved, it may be termed a bas relief ("low relief")— as seen in numismatics— or it may be a high relief, with much undercutting, rendered almost in the round against its flat background. Reliefs are a common type of artwork found throughout the world, particularly to decorate monumental buildings, such as temples. The frieze in the classical Corinthian order is often enriched with bas-reliefs. High reliefs may been seen in the pediments of classical temples, e.g. the Parthenon. Reliefs can be used for a single scene, or ordered into a narrative. Famous examples of reliefs include:

• Great Altar of Pergamon, now at the Pergamon Museum, Berlin\n* Lions and dragons from the Ishtar Gate, Babylon\n* Temple of Karnak in Egypt\n* Angkor Wat in Cambodia\n* Lion Capital of Asoka, the national symbol of India.\n* Mayan glyphs\n* The monument to the Confederacy at Stone Mountain, Georgia\n* The representation of Monticello on a US nickel.

See also

\n* Bas relief\n----\nIn physical geography, relief denotes the contour of a land mass feature, in relation to the lower elevation of its surroundings.