A low relief sculpture, where the design is carved so it stands only slightly out from a flat background. On a wall it gives a 3D picture or pattern that is part of the surface itself.

What is the difference between bas relief and sunk relief?

In bas relief the design stands slightly out from the background. In sunk relief, used widely in ancient Egypt, the design is carved below the surface inside a sharp outline. Tell us the look you want and we will talk you through it.

How much does a bas relief wall cost?

It depends on the size of the wall, how detailed the design is and the finish. Send us a photo and the measurements and we will give you a clear quote after we have seen the design you want.

Can you sculpt my own design or a logo?

Yes. A commission usually starts from something you love, whether that is a sketch, a pattern, a photograph or a company logo. We draw it to the scale of your wall first so you can approve it before we start.

Can it be painted or coloured?

Yes. It can stay natural white, be painted in full colour as a three dimensional scene, be tinted, or be finished in Venetian plaster, limewash or metallic detail.

Can you build lighting into a bas relief?

Yes. Lighting is planned at the design stage so the channels and recesses are sculpted in from the start, then LED strips are hidden behind the relief. The electrical connections are made by a qualified electrician.

3D Wall Art & Bas Relief | Sculpted Plaster Walls

Bas relief wall art, sculpted by hand

Bas relief is a picture or pattern sculpted into the wall itself. Trees, mountains, rivers, whole cityscapes with domes, arches and towers, flowers, figures, lettering or pure geometry rise out of the surface, so the light across the day does the rest. It is 3D wall art that belongs to the building rather than hanging on it.

What bas relief is

The name comes from the Italian basso rilievo, low relief. The design stands only slightly proud of the background, unlike a free standing sculpture, which is why it works on a wall, a ceiling, a fireplace breast or behind a bed. Every piece is built up in plaster by hand on site, carved while it is still workable, then refined and finished so it reads as one surface with the wall around it.

Because it is sculpted rather than cast, no two pieces are the same. It can be as quiet as a single botanical stem rising up a stairwell, or a whole landscape carved floor to ceiling, with trees, hills and architecture standing out from the wall in layers, a full feature wall that becomes the reason people remember the room.

A. ZavoréFounder & Master Applicator

A short history of relief

Around 1340 BC

Egypt

Egyptian carvers cut sunk relief, where the figures sit below the surface inside a sharp outline, so the strong sun cast shadows that made them readable. The Metropolitan Museum holds examples from Amarna dating to around 1347 to 1330 BC.

800s to 600s BC

Assyria

The palaces of Nimrud and Nineveh in what is now Iraq were lined with carved stone reliefs. The Lion Hunt of Ashurbanipal, carved around 645 to 635 BC, is on show at the British Museum in London.

447 to 432 BC

Greece

The Parthenon frieze in Athens, carved between 447 and 432 BC, runs in low relief around the building. Around 75 metres of it are in the British Museum.

13 BC to AD 113

Rome

The Ara Pacis altar of 13 to 9 BC and Trajan’s Column of AD 113, with a spiral frieze 190 metres long and 2,662 figures, show Rome telling its stories in relief.

1425 to 1452

Renaissance Florence

Lorenzo Ghiberti spent 1425 to 1452 on the bronze relief panels of the Gates of Paradise for the Florence Baptistery. Donatello pioneered rilievo schiacciato, or squashed relief, and his Ascension panel, only 5.3 cm deep, has been at the V&A in London since 1861.

Bas relief and ornate plasterwork, a drawing room with a decorative plaster ceiling in England — Drawing room with ornate plaster ceiling, England

The 1760s

Georgian Britain

Robert Adam filled British houses with fine plaster relief. His rooms at Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire and Syon House in west London date from the 1760s, and his Great Room at Kenwood in Hampstead from 1767 to 1770.

From 1775

Wedgwood

From 1775 at Etruria in Stoke on Trent, Josiah Wedgwood made jasperware, with white relief figures standing out from coloured grounds, a look still copied today.

Relief around the world

Relief is carved into buildings all over the world, on monuments, palaces and temples, in stone and in plaster.

Bas relief sculpture, a relief of figures and horses on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris — Relief of figures and horses, Arc de Triomphe, Paris

Bas relief with cherubs, a decorative relief with ornament in Istanbul — Bas relief with cherubs and ornament, Istanbul

Bas relief carving, a carved stone relief at Prambanan in Java, Indonesia — Carved stone relief, Prambanan, Java, Indonesia

Where to see relief in Britain

London museums

The Assyrian reliefs and the Parthenon frieze at the British Museum, and Donatello’s Ascension at the V&A.

Robert Adam houses

Kenwood in Hampstead, Syon House in west London and Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire, all with Adam’s plasterwork.

Your own wall

The same idea, sculpted by hand in plaster for your room, from a single stem to a whole landscape.

White, painted or lit

A relief can stay pure white, so light and shadow do all the work. It can be painted in full colour, turning a sculpted scene into a three dimensional painting with rooftops, water, boats and sky. And lighting can be built into the relief itself, with LED strips hidden behind arches, ledges and branches, or light glowing from carved windows, so the wall comes alive in the evening.

Where it works

Feature walls

Living rooms, dining rooms and hallways, where a sculpted wall replaces the need for art altogether.

Bedrooms

Behind the bed, in place of a headboard, where soft side light shows the relief at its best.

Commercial interiors

Reception walls, restaurants, bars and hotel lobbies, including logos and lettering in relief.

Bas relief or sculptural plaster panels?

Both give a wall depth. Sculptural plaster panels are made as a set design, ready made or bespoke, repeated across the wall and finished seamlessly, which usually makes them quicker and more affordable for larger areas. A bas relief is sculpted by hand for one wall, with no repeat at all, so every part of it can be different. We do both, and we will tell you which suits your wall.

Writing a specification? See sculptural plaster for how to specify our work, and our specifier page for samples and a direct line.

It also pairs naturally with our other finishes. A relief can rise out of a polished plaster or marmorino wall, or carry liquid metal detail on its edges.

Bas relief guides

Ideas and practical advice for sculpted relief walls, ceilings and feature walls.

Trade accounts for plasterers and decorators

Approved decorators, plasterers, contractors and designers buy with a Zavoré trade account. Ten percent off every material, taken off automatically the moment you are signed in to your trade account, consistent colour on every Venetian plaster reorder, colour matching to any reference, and the members only Rewards Room, where every pound counts towards titles and rewards. Academy students walk in the day they finish their course.

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Three ways into bas relief

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What bas relief is

A short history of relief

Egypt

Assyria

Greece

Rome

Renaissance Florence

Georgian Britain

Wedgwood

Relief around the world

Where to see relief in Britain

London museums

Robert Adam houses

Your own wall

White, painted or lit

Where it works

Feature walls

Bedrooms

Commercial interiors

Bas relief or sculptural plaster panels?

Bas relief guides

Five years, one standard

The First Walls

The Team Grows

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The Range Goes Public

The Name Goes Up

We also craft every other finish

Trade accounts for plasterers and decorators

Your questions, answered honestly

Bas Relief, written down

Bas Relief, High Relief and Sunk Relief Explained

Sculptural Wall Art, From Relief to Plaster Sculpture

Your order, protected at every step

Secure Payment

30 Days, Damage On Us

Tracked 24hr Dispatch

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