The History of Bas-Relief

August 12, 2025

The History of Bas-Relief Sculpture in Christian Art

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Abridged: (Short Version)

Bas-relief, a sculptural technique where figures are carved with shallow depth into a flat surface, has roots stretching back to ancient civilizations such as Egypt, Greece, and Rome. In Judeo-Christian contexts, it evolved from Jewish architectural decoration—often symbolic rather than figurative—into early Christian adaptations of Roman relief styles. Initially confined to private and funerary art, such as carved sarcophagi and tombstones, Christian reliefs gradually transitioned into public architecture following the legalization of Christianity in the 4th century. These early works retained classical compositional techniques but replaced pagan subjects with biblical narratives, serving as visual expressions of faith while navigating theological caution about images.

In Eastern Christianity, especially the Byzantine and Orthodox traditions, bas-relief remained a favored medium due to its compatibility with iconographic theology and its avoidance of fully three-dimensional statuary. Byzantine ivory panels, Armenian khachkars (intricately carved cross-stones), and modest architectural reliefs adorned churches without provoking concerns of idolatry. The art form persisted in architectural elements, devotional panels, and liturgical objects, often featuring symbolic motifs or stylized saints. Even in regions like Russia and Ethiopia, where sculpture was approached conservatively, relief offered a theologically acceptable way to beautify sacred spaces and communicate religious themes.

In the Latin West, bas-relief flourished alongside free-standing sculpture, becoming a dominant form of church decoration during the Romanesque and Gothic periods. Tympana above portals, carved choir screens, and detailed capitals transformed cathedrals into “Bibles in stone,” instructing the faithful through vivid biblical scenes. The Renaissance refined the craft with artists like Ghiberti and Donatello pushing technical boundaries, while later eras adapted relief for altarpieces, monuments, and devotional objects. Even into modern times, bas-relief remains integral to Christian art, from church doors and Stations of the Cross to jewelry and small devotional items, bridging the ancient and the contemporary in both sacred and personal contexts.

At Prostatia, we embrace bas-relief because it stands at the intersection of beauty, devotion, and tradition. This ancient technique allows us to tell rich, sacred stories within the intimate scale of a pendant or medallion, carrying forward the same visual language that once graced sarcophagi, cathedral portals, and khachkars. In bas-relief, a saint’s expression, a fold of drapery, or the arc of a cross can be felt as well as seen—creating a tangible connection between the wearer and the faith they profess. By working in this timeless format, we ensure that each piece is not only fine jewelry, but also a living heirloom in miniature—rooted in the centuries-old heritage of Christian art, yet designed to accompany the believer in daily life.

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Unabridged Study (Longer Version)

Introduction: What Is Bas-Relief?

Bas-relief (from Italian basso-rilievo, “low relief”) is a form of sculpture in which figures are carved with shallow depth and remain attached to a flat background[1][2]. It is among the oldest sculptural techniques, practiced since prehistoric times by carving into stone, clay, and wood[2]. Many ancient civilizations employed relief sculpture: for example, Egyptian temples and Assyrian palaces were adorned with narrative wall reliefs, and classical Greek and Roman art made extensive use of both high and low relief (from the friezes of the Parthenon to the triumphal columns of Rome)[3][4]. Bas-relief’s strength is its ability to portray complex scenes in a compressed space, combining aspects of two-dimensional art (like composition and perspective) with three-dimensional form[5]. Throughout history, bas-relief has been used to tell stories, decorate architecture, and depict deities and heroes. In this article we will explore the complete history of bas-relief, focusing especially on its use in Christian art and worship – particularly in Eastern and Western Christian traditions – from the early days of the Church until today. We will also note connections to Jewish art and other cultural traditions as context.

Early Christian and Jewish Origins of Bas-Relief

Bas-relief carving in the context of Judeo-Christian religion must be understood against the backdrop of Jewish aniconism and Greco-Roman artistic heritage. Ancient Jewish art generally avoided sculpture in the round due to biblical prohibitions on “graven images,” but it did embrace decorative relief in architecture[6][7]. Archaeology shows that many late antique synagogues featured carved symbolic motifs (rather than full statues). For example, images of the seven-branched menorah – a sacred Jewish symbol – appear in relief on numerous synagogue fittings (lintels, screens, capitals, etc.) from the 2nd–6th centuries CE[8]. The facades of Galilean synagogues in the 4th–5th centuries were often lavishly ornamented with relief carvings of geometric and floral designs, giving these houses of worship an impressive monumentality reminiscent of contemporary pagan and Christian buildings[9]. This Jewish practice of relief decoration (while keeping human figures minimal) provided a precedent that early Christians would both inherit and transform.

Early Christianity emerged within the Roman Empire, where relief sculpture was a dominant art form. Initially, however, Christians were cautious about public art and images. In the first few centuries (1st–3rd centuries AD), Christian art was relatively small-scale and private – found in places like the catacombs (underground burial chambers) and on household objects – rather than on large public monuments[10]. As one art historian notes, “Early Christian sculpture was limited to small pieces and private memorials and only gradually became incorporated into ecclesiastical architecture.”[10] In these early expressions, the subject matter changed to reflect the new faith, even if the artistic style followed classical models[11]. Thus, the change was “in subject more than in mode”[11] – biblical scenes replaced pagan myths, but the sculptural techniques (pose, drapery, use of relief) looked very much like Roman art.

One of the most important media for early Christian reliefs was the sarcophagus (stone coffin). Wealthier Christians commissioned elaborately carved sarcophagi with biblical scenes in relief to serve as final resting places. By the mid-3rd to 4th century, these Christian sarcophagi show a rich Biblical iconography. Common themes included scenes like Daniel in the lions’ den, Moses striking water from the rock, the Adoration of the Magi, the Raising of Lazarus, and images of Christ as the Good Shepherd – all rendered in marble relief[12]. Sometimes even pagan mythological figures were repurposed in a Christian sense (for example, Orpheus was depicted as a Christ-like figure charming wild animals)[13]. A famous example is the Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus (dated 359 AD), a large marble coffin covered in two registers of intricate reliefs of Old and New Testament scenes. It has been described as “probably the single most famous piece of early Christian relief sculpture”[14], illustrating how by the 4th century the new faith confidently embraced this art form. Early Christian reliefs like these still employed Greco-Roman artistic language – figures in classical robes, naturalistic poses, and balanced compositions – but applied it to Christian narrative and symbolism[11].

In addition to sarcophagi, early Christians also used bas-relief on smaller objects. Carved tombstones in the catacombs sometimes bore simple relief motifs (praying figures, Christ as the Good Shepherd, etc.), and clay oil lamps were molded with Christian symbols in low relief (such as the Chi-Rho monogram or biblical scenes)[15]. These artifacts show the faith’s imagery taking shape in relief on a modest scale. Only after Christianity’s legalization (in 313 AD) and especially its establishment as the imperial religion (late 4th century) did Christian art move into the public sphere of basilicas and monuments. Even then, free-standing statues remained rare in the East (due to lingering iconophobic attitudes), whereas relief decoration was somewhat more acceptable.

By the late 4th and 5th centuries, as large churches (basilicas) were built, Christians began adorning them with art – primarily mosaics and paintings at first, but occasionally relief sculpture as well. In the East, the influence of the new Christian empire in Constantinople led to a preference for glittering mosaics over sculptural reliefs for church decoration[16]. Indeed, “when the Christian basilica replaced the catacomb, the influence of imperial Constantinople had substituted mosaics for both sculpture and painting” in many cases[16]. Nevertheless, some relief work persisted. The 5th-century wooden doors of Santa Sabina in Rome, for instance, are carved with biblical scenes in low relief – one of the earliest examples of Christian relief carving on a church’s architecture. Such examples were the forerunners of a rich tradition of relief sculpture that would blossom in different ways in the Eastern and Western branches of Christendom.

Bas-Relief in Eastern Christian (Byzantine and Orthodox) Art

In the Eastern Christian world (centered on Byzantium), figurative sculpture was approached with caution. The Eastern Orthodox Church, from its early centuries, emphasized panel icons (painted images) and flat decorative art over three-dimensional statues. This was partly a theological and cultural choice: classical statuary was associated with pagan cults, and Eastern Christians were wary of anything resembling idols[17][18]. Over time, a consensus developed that while two-dimensional or relief images could be venerated, fully three-dimensional religious sculptures (statues in the round) were undesirable. An oft-cited guideline is that Orthodox sacred images “may never be more than three-quarter bas-relief,” adhering to the biblical commandment against graven images[18]. In other words, a saint or Christ could be depicted in a lightly protruding relief icon, but not as a freestanding statue. This attitude was reinforced during the Iconoclast Controversy (8th–9th centuries), when the Eastern Church fiercely debated the legitimacy of holy images. After the restoration of icons in 843 AD, painted and mosaic icons regained their place, whereas sculpture in churches remained minimal, except in relief form.

Despite this general reticence, the Eastern tradition did produce notable works of bas-relief. Byzantine art occasionally incorporated relief carving, especially in architectural ornament and small-scale devotion. Stone carving was used to decorate church façades, capitals, and icon screens with intricate patterns, crosses, and sometimes figures. For example, decorative relief panels with intertwined foliage or crosses can be seen in Byzantine churches and ossuaries, showing a desire to “carve in” beauty without violating the prohibition on full statues. Ivory carving also flourished in the Byzantine world: small ivory relief icons, reliquaries, and diptychs with biblical scenes were highly prized[19]. These ivories – often only a few inches across – featured sacred images in low relief and were used in personal devotion or as liturgical objects. They demonstrate that bas-relief was an acceptable format for sacred imagery, so long as the scale was modest.

In certain Eastern Christian cultures, relief carving became a distinctive art form. The Armenian Church, for instance, developed the unique tradition of the khachkar or “cross-stone.” Khachkars are upright stone slabs (stelae) carved with elaborate relief designs centered on a cross. Emerging in Armenia by the 9th century, khachkars feature a cross in relief surrounded by rosettes, interlacing geometric motifs, and sometimes biblical scenes or saints, all rendered in intricate low relief[20][21]. They served as outdoor shrines, memorials, and objects of veneration – effectively, relief icons in stone. Thousands of khachkars, some up to 5–10 feet tall, dot the Armenian landscape, demonstrating an Eastern Christian preference for bas-relief sculpture as a vehicle for spiritual symbolism and storytelling. (In khachkar design, human figures are rare; the emphasis is on the cross and richly symbolic ornamentation, aligning with the Armenian Church’s early reluctance to portray the human form directly[22][23].) This tradition underscores how Eastern Christianity found an outlet for sculptural creativity through relief instead of full sculpture in the round.

Within the Byzantine Empire and its heir cultures (Greek, Russian, Balkan Orthodox), relief work was largely confined to architectural decoration and small icons. Middle Byzantine churches (9th–12th centuries) often display carved marble iconostasis panels, chancel screens, and capitals. These carvings might include crosses, saints in shallow relief, or simply ornate scrollwork. For example, the Church of the Dormition at Nicaea (İznik) had carved relief panels of peacocks and foliate designs. In the Slavic lands, after the Christianization of Russia (988 AD), Orthodox art initially shunned sculpture as “pagan.” Early Russian churches avoided statuary, focusing on frescoes and panel icons[24]. Nonetheless, some relief decoration crept in. Notably, a few 12th-century churches in Kievan Rus and Vladimir-Suzdal were adorned with stone bas-reliefs on their exterior walls – often fantastical animals, saints, or biblical scenes carved in low relief. The Cathedral of St. Dmitry in Vladimir (1190s) is famous for its facade covered in dozens of carved relief panels (lions, saints, mythic creatures), a rare exuberance of sculpture in a medieval Orthodox context[25]. Even so, these reliefs were stylized and “flat” in feeling, not aiming at classical naturalism, and the Orthodox did not regard them as free-standing images for worship in the way Western statuary was.

By the late medieval period, Eastern Orthodox artists did experiment with relief in more portable forms. In Russia around the 14th century, carved wooden icons in flattened relief became popular[26]. One example is the icon of Saint Nicholas of Mozhaisk, which depicts St. Nicholas as a carved wood figure (often polychromed) presenting a sword and a church; although essentially a statue, it is very shallow and frontal, blurring the line between sculpture and painting. Such icons were replicated widely in Russia, showing that relief sculpture could fill a devotional role if kept within certain stylistic limits[26]. Likewise, Coptic (Egyptian) and Ethiopian churches, while mainly using murals and icons, produced carved wooden altar screens and crosses with intricate openwork relief designs. These were acceptable as they were clearly decorative or symbolic, not lifelike statues.

The Eastern Church’s cautious approach persisted into modern times. During the 18th–19th centuries, under Western influence, some Russian churches introduced full statues (e.g. the Cathedral of St. Isaac in St. Petersburg, 1858, features large statues of Christ and the Apostles)[27]. Yet many Orthodox faithful felt these were alien to their tradition – as one 19th-c. Russian bishop wrote, “carved figures [statues] put many believers in a depressed mood”[28]. Bas-relief images, however, did not provoke the same reaction. In the 20th century, Orthodox churches have occasionally used relief sculpture – for example, depicting the Crucifixion or saints on church doors, memorial plaques, or in stone carvings on exterior walls – but the primary visual art remains the icon. Overall, Eastern Christian art demonstrates that the bas-relief format, being halfway between painting and sculpture, was an acceptable means to beautify churches and portray sacred themes without crossing the perceived line into idolatrous imagery. From the finely carved Byzantine ivory icons to the stone crosses of Armenia and the wooden icon screens of Russia, Eastern Christianity made a rich (if somewhat understated) use of bas-relief to express its theology in art.

Visual: Armenian khachkar (carved cross-stone) at Hovhannavank (13th c.), exemplifying Eastern Christian bas-relief. The cross motif and intricate vegetal patterns are chiseled in low relief on volcanic tufa stone.[20][21]

Bas-Relief in Western Christian Art

In the Latin West, bas-relief sculpture took a different trajectory, growing ever more prominent in churches and Christian visual culture. Early Western Christian art shared the same roots as the Eastern – the late antique Roman world – and in the immediate post-Roman period (5th–8th centuries), large-scale sculpture was scarce. However, as the Western medieval societies stabilized, the Church began to employ sculpture, especially relief, as a major decorative and didactic art form. By the High Middle Ages, the interiors and exteriors of Western European churches were teeming with relief carvings depicting biblical narratives, saints’ lives, and theological symbolism[29]. In contrast to the East, there was no blanket prohibition on statues in the West; thus, reliefs flourished alongside statues, each serving specific purposes in church art.

During the Early Middle Ages (Carolingian and Ottonian periods, 9th–10th centuries), one finds impressive relief artwork in items like ivory book covers, altarpieces, and reliquaries. For example, the 9th-century Lorsch Gospels cover is an ivory relief of triumphal arch architecture with Christ, and the 10th-century bronze doors of Hildesheim (St. Michael’s Church, c. 1015) are covered in extensive bas-relief scenes from the Bible[30]. These Hildesheim doors – each door cast as a single piece with high-relief panels of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, and scenes from Christ’s life – are an important milestone, showing a bold reintroduction of large relief sculpture in a church setting. Such works were heir to Roman traditions (heavy doors with relief panels were used in ancient basilicas too) but now placed in unequivocally Christian context.

It was in the Romanesque period (11th–12th centuries) that Western Europe saw an explosion of architectural sculpture, predominantly in relief. Stone carvers ornamented the new stone churches and cathedrals with biblical scenes to educate the mostly illiterate faithful. Reliefs appeared in many architectural zones: on capitals of columns (often with carved foliage, animals, or Bible stories), on baptismal fonts and tombs, and most magnificently, around the portals of church entrances. The semicircular tympanum above a church’s main door became a prime “canvas” for relief carving. Romanesque churches from France to Italy and Spain featured tympana filled with scenes like the Last Judgment, Christ in Majesty, the Virgin and Child, or various saints. These compositions were usually high bas-relief, with figures projecting prominently but still attached to the background. A famous example is the Last Judgment tympanum at Autun Cathedral (France, c. 1130), carved by the sculptor Gislebertus. It shows Christ enthroned in judgment, with heaven’s saved souls on one side and hell’s demons and the damned on the other – all in dramatic relief that plays with light and shadow on the stone. Such church portal reliefs were didactic, intended to remind worshipers of key doctrines as they entered the holy space. Romanesque relief style tends toward expressive, elongated figures, often somewhat flattened against the background, yet powerfully communicative. The Catholic Encyclopedia notes that even the “rude Lombardic bas-reliefs” of early medieval Italy, though crude, began moving from pure symbolism toward more natural depictions (e.g. lively hunting scenes and animals) as carvers observed nature[31][32] – an early sign of Western sculpture’s realist impulse.

When the Gothic era arrived (12th–15th centuries), relief sculpture continued to thrive, becoming even more integral to church architecture. Gothic cathedrals, especially in France, are veritable galleries of sculpture – with the pointed portal tympana, archivolt rings, facade friezes, and even interior choir screens densely filled with carvings. Gothic reliefs gained greater fluidity and naturalism compared to Romanesque. Figures became more rounded (sometimes nearly free-standing), and compositions gained depth. However, bas-relief remained crucial for large narrative scenes. For example, the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris has a famous series of bas-relief panels inside the choir screen telling the story of Christ’s life in finely carved detail. Medieval craftsmen considered relief sculpture “a purely Christian and beautiful form of art [that] ranks high” in its close alliance with architecture[33]. The reliefs were not merely decoration; they were visual scripture and doctrine in stone. As one modern source explains, “medieval bas-reliefs were popularized by their use throughout the churches and cathedrals of Europe, where the narrative imagery depicted – as you’d imagine – biblical scenes and holy figures.”[29] In northern Europe especially, countless examples survive of Gothic reliefs: from the vigorous story-telling panels on the facade of Chartres Cathedral (c. 1200) to the delicate sculptural screens of Naumburg Cathedral in Germany (c. 1250). In Italy, Gothic sculpture was somewhat less dominant (Italian churches favored mosaic and painting in some cases[34]), but even there reliefs adorned pulpits (Nicola Pisano’s 13th-century marble pulpit reliefs show crowded New Testament scenes in classical style) and facades (the Orvieto Cathedral’s facade has extensive biblical reliefs).

Visual: Medieval bas-relief on a church portal: the Last Judgment tympanum (12th century) at Autun Cathedral, France. Christ in Majesty occupies the center, while angels and demons weigh souls on judgment day, all carved in dramatic low relief to educate and inspire the faithful.[29]

The Renaissance (15th–16th centuries) brought a renewed interest in classical proportion and perspective, and bas-relief work was refined to a high art. Renaissance sculptors in Italy – notably Donatello, Lorenzo Ghiberti, and others – pushed the limits of relief technique. Ghiberti’s famous Gates of Paradise (bronze doors for the Florence Baptistery, completed 1452) are a masterpiece of relief sculpture: their large panels depict Old Testament scenes in a combination of high-relief foreground figures and lower relief background details, creating an illusion of depth and space. Such works showed “picturesque relief [sculpture] reached its fullest development in Florence”[35]. Donatello pioneered schiacciato (Italian for “flattened-out”) relief, a very low relief that achieves a painterly effect with fine gradations – for example, his panel The Feast of Herod (1420s) uses both high and low relief to convey architectural depth[36]. Renaissance reliefs often were made in marble, bronze, or terracotta and could be used in a variety of settings: wall-mounted narrative plaques, altarpiece reliefs, choir stalls, even small domestic devotional reliefs. Churches continued to commission relief work for altars and tombs; e.g. bas-relief altarpieces carved in marble became popular, showing scenes like the Nativity or Crucifixion in elegant classical composition. The Renaissance also saw many multi-media reliefs – for instance, the Della Robbia family in Florence created glazed terracotta reliefs of Madonnas and saints (often in vibrant colors) that adorned churches and public buildings[37]. In sum, Western artists elevated bas-relief to new levels of technical and aesthetic sophistication during this period. One Renaissance observer, Giorgio Vasari, even commented that well-crafted relief can be as moving and illusionistic as a painting – a testament to the esteem this art form held.

After the Renaissance, Baroque era (17th–18th c.) art tended toward more dynamic, in-the-round sculpture (and indeed we see a proliferation of statues of saints in Catholic churches, like Bernini’s works). Bas-relief, while still used (especially on tomb monuments, wall plaques, and altars), took a secondary role to dramatic free-standing sculptures during the Baroque. The Catholic Encyclopedia notes that after Michelangelo (who died 1564, often considered the last great sculptor of the High Renaissance), much Baroque relief work was of “a low order of inspiration,” with truly outstanding reliefs being fewer[38]. However, the craft did not disappear: Baroque churches often had elaborate carved wood altarpieces that combined statues and reliefs, and the technique was still taught and practiced for architectural decoration.

In the 19th century, a neoclassical revival brought bas-relief back into prominence for large public monuments. For example, one of the most famous monumental relief programs of that era is the Arc de Triomphe in Paris (1830s), which features enormous bas-relief panels of historical and allegorical scenes on its facades[39]. While this is a civic monument, not a church, it shows how relief sculpture was regarded as a noble art form for conveying narratives and ideals. In church contexts, the 19th century (especially under the influence of the Gothic Revival) saw new churches built with sculptural programs imitating medieval cathedrals – including relief-laden portals and stations of the cross in relief inside. For instance, neo-Gothic churches often installed carved Stations of the Cross plaques along nave walls, each a bas-relief depicting Christ’s passion. These became a standard feature in Catholic churches worldwide, bridging piety and art.

Moving into the 20th and 21st centuries, bas-relief continues to be used in Christian art, though the styles have diversified (from traditional to modernist and abstract). Many contemporary churches incorporate relief sculpture in some form – whether in bronze church doors with biblical scenes in low relief, decorative friezes around the sanctuary, or sculpted stations and icons. A notable modern example is the bas-relief Holy Family commissioned for the National Shrine in Washington, D.C., carved in marble as a devotional artwork in a chapel[40]. Even outside ecclesiastical settings, Christian themes appear in modern reliefs (e.g. the mid-20th-century French artist Henri Matisse created a series of bronze reliefs “Back I–IV” exploring the human figure, and one finds abstracted relief crucifixion images by various contemporary sculptors). Meanwhile, in the Eastern Orthodox realm, traditional methods have been preserved: iconographers still occasionally produce hand-carved wooden icons in low relief, and some Orthodox churches have beautifully carved icon screens and panels (often by modern craftsmen reviving old techniques). Thus, bas-relief remains a living art form. It straddles the line between painting and sculpture, making it especially suitable for churches that want to convey spiritual narratives in a visually accessible yet architecturally integrated way.

Finally, it’s worth noting that bas-relief has also influenced smaller devotional arts and crafts, such as medallions, cameos, and jewelry. At Prostatia, we create our Icon jewelry using bas-relief techniques. This is quite fitting, as relief carving lends itself to small, precious objects – cameo carvings of saints or scenes on gemstones and ivories were popular from Byzantine times through the 19th century. Today, artists and artisans continue to create Christian-themed reliefs on a miniature scale (pendants, plaques, and the like), carrying on an ancient tradition into modern handiwork.

Conclusion

From the rock engravings of prehistory to the carved tablets of modern artisans, bas-relief sculpture has proven to be one of humanity’s most enduring art forms. In the sphere of Judeo-Christian tradition, its journey is particularly rich. We have seen how ancient Jewish worship cautiously employed relief for decoration, and how early Christians adopted Roman relief practices to express their newfound faith in the catacombs and sarcophagi[11][13]. We traced the divergence of East and West: the Eastern Orthodox world, mindful of idolatry, largely confined sculpture to the subtle plane of bas-relief – evident in everything from Byzantine ivory icons to the majestic khachkars of Armenia[20][18]. Meanwhile, the Western tradition embraced relief sculpture as a cornerstone of church art, covering Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals with a “Bible in stone” and continuing to innovate through the Renaissance and beyond[29][35]. Throughout this history, bas-relief has served as a bridge between worlds – between painting and sculpture, between the earthly and the divine. It can tell a complex story in a single frame of stone or metal, inviting the viewer to contemplate layers of meaning as the light rakes across the carved surface.

In Christian places of worship, bas-relief has fulfilled both aesthetic and didactic roles: beautifying God’s house and teaching the faithful. Whether it is a gentle image of the Good Shepherd carved on a 4th-century sarcophagus, or a dramatic Last Judgment spread above a Gothic portal, or a serene icon carved in wood by a contemporary monk, these reliefs connect believers with the stories and symbols of their faith. They are tactile, visually compelling testaments to religious heritage. The next time you run your hand over an old church door and feel figures and forms protruding from the flat plane, you are in touch (literally) with this deep tradition of bas-relief – a tradition that has continuously reinvented itself while carrying forward an ancient legacy of sacred art.

Visual: Early Christian marble sarcophagus of Junius Bassus (c. 359 AD), Vatican Museums. Its detailed bas-relief panels depict biblical scenes (Adam and Eve, Daniel in the lions’ den, Christ’s arrest, etc.) in a style drawn from Roman art. This sarcophagus is a landmark in Christian relief sculpture, integrating the Gospel message into the classical artistic tradition[14].

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[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [11] [12] [13] [15] [16] [19] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [37] [38] CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Bas-Relief