What is Relief?
{{otheruses}} [[File:Centaur from Parthenon.jpg|thumb|Centaur from the pediment of Parthenon]] '''Relief''' is a type of [[sculpture]] or [[carving]]. The worker creating the piece starts with a flat base, usually stone or wood, and takes small parts of the surface away until the desired image has been made. Reliefs are found around the world. They can be used to decorate buildings, such as [[temple]]s. Usually the artist makes reliefs of figures, such as people or animals. [[File:Votive relief of a reclined Hetaera.jpg|thumb|[[Ancient Rome|Roman]] [[Hetaera]], Relief, around 2nd century, Head is missing]] In [[bas-relief]], only a bit of the base is taken away. The figure is quite flat and this is especially common in [[frieze]]s. An alto-relief is where the artist takes away a lot of the base material. This can be very detailed. ==Famous reliefs== Famous reliefs include: * Great [[Altar]] of [[Pergamon]], now at the [[Pergamon Museum]], Berlin * Lions and dragons from the [[Ishtar Gate]], Babylon * Temple of [[Karnak]] in [[Egypt]] * [[Angkor Wat]] in [[Cambodia]] * [[Lion Capital of Ashoka]], the national symbol of [[India]] * [[glyph]]s and artwork of the [[Maya civilization]] * The [[monument]] to the Confederacy at [[Stone Mountain]], Georgia * [[Borobudur]] temple, [[Java Island|Java]], [[Indonesia]] * The [[Elgin Marbles]] from the [[Parthenon]] now housed at the [[British Museum]]. * The representation of [[Monticello]] on a US [[Nickel (U.S. coin)|nickel]]. ==Gallery== <center> <gallery> Image:Greek couple.jpg|Greek couple in high relief Image:Palmyra woman.jpg|Palmyra Figure in British Museum Image:Qajari relief.jpg|Persian relief from [[Qajar]] era in the style of [[Persepolis]], located at [[Tangeh Savashi]]. Image:Clonfert angels-north (ajusted) 20006-06-21.jpg|Angels from [[Clonfert Cathedral]], Co Galway, Ireland (adjusted to highlight relief) </gallery> </center> {{commons|Relief}} [[Category:Sculpture]]