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Alto-relievo

Sculptural relief in which the modeled forms project from the background by at least half their depth.

Also called high relief. Alto-relievo is translated from Latin as high-relief,

a technique in Classical antiquity sculpture to reveal human or animal figures

that project out from a solid tablet of marble or other material.

At least one-half of the figure must be projecting from the surface, often appearing in a standing position.

In "alto relief" the figures are usually near natural depth and the background is more detailed and deeper.

Alto-relievo are figures carved out of a tablet that project at least one half of cross-section from the tablet's surface.

In the illustration above, the wall is a simple re-inforcement, with no detail,

but frequently the vertical element would be bigger and have detail carved into it.

All cultures and periods, where large sculptures were created, used this technique as one of their sculptural options.

From ancient times to present, it is to be seen in "monumental sculpture".

It is frequently employed as a means of strengthing the integrity of the sculpture only.

Frequently some detail is included on the vertical stone.