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How is sunken relief made in ancient Egyptian sculpture?
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Sculpture
Visitors viewing A Subtlety, or the Marvelous Sugar Baby, a sugar-coated polystyrene sculpture by Kara Walker, 2014, part of a temporary installation at the former Domino Sugar Refinery in Brooklyn, New York.
In ancient Egyptian sculpture, sunken reliefâalso known as incised or intaglio reliefâis created through a specific carving process that preserves the original surface of the material.1
The technique is executed as follows:
- Outlining: The sculptor first incises the contour line of the design all around the intended figure.1
- Carving: The artist then carves the relief inside this incised outline, removing material to sink the design below the level of the surrounding surface.21
- Finishing: The surrounding surface remains untouched, meaning the finished work does not project outward from the original plane.1
This method results in a design contained within a sharp, vertical-walled contour. Because the carving is recessed, it creates a powerful play of light and shade along the edges of the design, which serves to define the figures clearly while maintaining the continuity of the stone or wood surface.21