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sculptural
All techniques

Carving

Relief carving

Figures emerge from a shared ground, combining the material presence of sculpture with pictorial depth.

Relief carving on the Temple of Dendur

Materials & tools

  • Stone
  • Wood
  • Clay
  • Plaster

Relief ranges from barely incised surfaces to deeply undercut figures. Overlapping planes, scale, and the angle of carving can suggest far more space than the slab physically contains.

The Met: Temple of Dendur

The process

  1. 01

    Prepare the field

  2. 02

    Transfer the design

  3. 03

    Establish depth levels

  4. 04

    Carve overlapping forms

  5. 05

    Finish edges and surface