Mother and Child

myminifactory

Who is Depicted? We have no information about this woman or infant. Technical/Specification About the Statue Relief is a sculptural technique where elements remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term relief comes from the Latin verb relevo, which means to raise. To create a sculpture in relief gives the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane. What actually happens when a relief is cut into a flat surface of stone or wood is the lowering of the field, leaving unsculpted parts seemingly raised. The technique involves considerable chiselling away of the background, which is time-consuming. A relief saves forming the rear of a subject and is less fragile and more securely fixed than a sculpture in the round. Different Degrees of Relief There are various degrees of relief depending on the degree of projection of the sculpted form from the field. The Italian terms are still used to describe these different levels. High relief shows more than 50% of the depth, with undercut areas. Mid-relief has a moderate level of projection, while low-relief is only slightly lower than the sculpted elements. Shallow-relief or rilievo schiacciato is where the plane is very slightly lower than the sculpted elements. The opposite of relief sculpture is counter-relief, intaglio, or cavo-rilievo, where the form is cut into the field rather than rising from it. This technique is rare in monumental sculpture. About the Artist The artist who created this work is currently unknown.