basso rilievo
- noun
- /ˈbɑːsoʊ rɪˈljɛvoʊ/
- Specialized
:
bajo relieve
- The museum displayed a beautiful basso rilievo depicting ancient mythological scenes.
Examples
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The artist carefully carved the marble to achieve the delicate effect of basso rilievo.
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Many ancient temples feature beautiful basso rilievi on their walls.
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In basso rilievo, the figures barely stand out from the background, creating subtle depth.
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The artist created a stunning basso rilievo for the entrance.
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In basso rilievo, the figures barely stand out from the background, creating subtle depth.
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The artist carefully carved the marble to achieve the delicate effect of basso rilievo.
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The museum displayed a beautiful basso rilievo depicting ancient mythological scenes.
Synonyms
16
7.3
A carved design that stands out from a flat surface, like on a coin
2
9.3
A sculpture with figures that stick out a little from a flat background
A design with shallow figures raised slightly from a flat surface
A style of sculpture where shapes stand out a little from a flat background with no part fully separate
A carved design on a wall that stands out from a flat background
A raised image carved into a flat surface that stands out from the background
How Raised
- Specialized
1
8.2
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
basso + rilievo
The Italian phrase literally means 'low relief' (basso = low; rilievo = relief), so the sculptural sense is directly and compositionally derived from the constituents. Although these are non‑English borrowings that many learners may not recognize, a B1 learner who knows both constituent words would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Basso rilievo comes from the Italian words basso ('low') and rilievo ('raised'), giving the image of figures only a little lifted from a flat surface. So, basso rilievo means a sculpture where the shapes 'barely stand out' from the background.