SCULPTURE

is that branch of art which | t is concerned in the reproduction of natural} ¥ objects in solid substances, by carving or| t! chasing in wood, ivory, or stone, modelling } a in clay, wax, or other plastic substance, | 1 or casting or beating out in various metals, | o! The object may be represented cither with | in or without an accompanying background. | t In the former case it is said to be in high-| w relief, ail to-rilievo, or low-relief, ba o-| st rilieco, according as the Be tte tt stands out boldly from the background, | u or is only slightly removed from it. When | Ir the a stands alone without a back-/ © ground, it is technically described as “ in| o the round.” ‘The art has been practised | b: from wey ey times. Specimens of} ti A yrian reliefs may be secn in the} « British Museum, but the work of the ancient | t Greek sculptors excelled that of all others. | gi The Venus of Milo, the Apollo Belvedere, | re the Elgin Marbles, and the pie in tor are world-famous. The statue of/ ¢: Zeus in the temple nt Olympia attracted | o: visitors from distant countries for more| B than six centaries after its execution, and | ai the Colo us of Rhodes was considered | t one of the ** Seven Wonders of the World.” | d: The art of sculpture declined after the fall | a: of the Roman Empire. There was a/is revival in the 14th and 15th centuries, | sv followed by a second decline in the 17th. | d The modern revival dates from the end of | tl the 18th century. [s. 273]