Page:An Elementary History of Art.djvu/192

SCULPTURE. Introduction. IN its true sense, Sculpture is the art of cutting or graving hard materials; but it has come to mean all representation of organic life in relief, whether in The round, i.e. fully detached. Alto-relievo or high relief, i.e. nearly detached from the surface. Mezzo-relievo or semi-relief, i.e. fully rounded, but still attached to the surface. Basso-relievo or low relief, i.e. slightly raised from the surface. Intaglio or cavo-relievo, i.e. hollowed out. The Egyptians used a kind of relief peculiar to them- selves, a very low relief sunk below the surface, and therefore combining basso-relievo and intaglio. It is called by the French bas-relief en creux. We propose to interpret sculpture in its widest sense, which includes : the chiselling of perfect figures and groups in any hard substance ; the carving of high or low reliefs, whether in marble, ivory, wood, or any other material; the moulding of statues or groups of a plain material