relief

A relief depicting the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaton with his wife Nefertiti.

In sculpture, particularly architectural sculpture, carved figures and other forms that project from the background. The Italian terms basso-rilievo (low relief), mezzo-rilievo (middle relief), and alto-rilievo (high relief) are used according to the extent to which the sculpture projects. The French term bas-relief is commonly used to mean low relief.