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Glite Dictionary
high relief

high relief

1 8.2
A carving where figures stand out far from the flat background
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : alto relieve
  • The white hen and the red cock are sacrificed over the female figure modeled in high relief on the mud sanctuary.
  • carved in high relief
  • symbols in high relief
  • areas of high relief

Examples

  • Such stone plaques, carved in high relief, have been used in a funerary context.

    Academic text (2005)

  • Standing guard before the city's huge ceremonial plaza was a massive stone warrior sculpted in high relief.

    Academic text (2010)

  • The figures decorating this side are in high relief.

    Academic text (2000)

  • In all of these works, the same details of facial features and ornamentation are worked in high relief.

    Academic text (2000)

  • The Kotdjo sanctuary has a figure of a crocodile in high relief on an alternate face.

    Academic text (2006)

  • Human and animal representations with the same characteristics were also added in high relief on spherical pottery.

    Academic text (2000)

  • Two other panels in the composition depict an Nkanu man and woman, both carved in high relief.

    Academic text (2001)

  • And there, in high relief, was Augustus himself, young and healthy, a hath smile on his lips, striding confidently into the future.

  • The carvings—gods, devils, and angels dancing along the edge in high relief—suggest a Hieronymus Bosch painting.

    Academic text (2008)

  • The building's facade features beautiful figures carved in high relief that catch the light beautifully.

Synonyms

alto rilievo
vshigh relief
  • Specialized
9.9

A deep sculpture where carved figures stand out from the background

is the common English term instead of the specialized foreign form

Antonyms

low relief
  • Specialized
7.8

A style of sculpture where shapes stand out a little from a flat background with no part fully separate

How Deep

high relief
  • Specialized
1 8.2
low relief
  • Specialized
7.8

Surface Forms

high relief singular
high reliefs plural

Morphology

high + relief

This is a compositional adjective+noun phrase: 'high' indicates degree/extent and 'relief' is a sculptural projection, so 'high relief' straightforwardly means a relief with figures projecting prominently (in art, about half their depth). The meaning follows normal English adjective modification and is predictable for a B1 learner who knows both constituent words, even if the term is somewhat technical.

Etymology

High relief describes a type of sculpture where the figures stand out a long way from the flat background. The word high shows how far the shapes stick out and relief means the raised surface, so it now means 'a sculpture with figures that stick out a lot'.