bas relief
2
9.3
- noun
- /bɑː rɪˈliːf/
- Specialized
:
bajo relieve
- Many of the temples and tombs are highly decorated with bas-reliefs and hieroglyphics.
- bas relief in the palace
- murals and bas reliefs
- decorated with bas relief
Examples
-
In 2013, a bas-relief of Yeltsin was unveiled on Tallinn's Nunne Street.
Academic text (2015) -
I walk over to the bas-relief commemorating the Holocaust.
Fiction book (1999) -
The room's only light came from the huge bas relief.
Fiction book (1997) -
Of special interest: a huge bas relief dominates an entire wall.
Fiction book (1997) -
The plant imagery on the walls of this dwelling is rendered in bas-relief rather than paint.
Academic text (2002) -
Claude bought me two vases, each with a prominent bas relief of a woman's face.
Fiction book (2001) -
Fluted mud pillars flanked the screen of carvings, and the wall above was decorated with a bas-relief mud frieze.
Academic text (1998) -
The Itz are famous for their extraordinary buildings, bas-reliefs, and murals at the city of Chichén Itzá, also in Yucatán.
Academic text (2007) -
The museum showcased a stunning bas relief that depicted scenes from ancient mythology.
-
The grand hall featured intricate bas relief designs that were admired by all the visitors.
Synonyms
16
7.3
A carved design that stands out from a flat surface, like on a coin
A design with shallow figures raised slightly from a flat surface
A shallow carving in which figures just slightly stand out from the background
A style of sculpture where shapes stand out a little from a flat background with no part fully separate
A shallow carved design that slightly stands out from a flat background
A raised image carved into a flat surface that stands out from the background
How High
Surface Forms
Morphology
bas + relief
The element 'relief' clearly signals a sculptural projection, and if a learner recognises 'bas' (from French 'low') the compound transparently denotes a 'low' or slight projection. However, 'bas' is a loanword/technical term not part of core English vocabulary, so the construction is lexicalized and only partially predictable for a typical B1 learner.
Etymology
Bas relief comes from French words: bas means 'low' and relief means 'raised', so the carved figures only stick out a little from a flat background. That's why bas relief describes a sculpture where the shapes rise only slightly from the surface.