Wall Friezes and Reliefs

Although we generally refer to many of these wall sculptures here, as friezes and sometimes large wall plaques. They are also often referred to as wall friezes, reliefs or even bas-reliefs. So what is a bas relief or a wall frieze ?

The word bas in bas relief means shallow. That is the raised portion of a three-dimensional wall relief is shallow in height as a project out. Another term you will hear for bas reliefs is a high relief or alto-relievo. A high relief is a relief that sticks out over 50% of the sculpture that makes up the relief. For instance if we had a high relief with a picture of a horse on it. The relief would project out over the halfway point of the horse. If you can imagine a horses Lake that is cut in half through its center lengthwise - the high relief would represent over 50% of the leg and thus starts to curves back or undercut as it is called. So you would see more than just a rounded edge cutting back on the relief. relief. High reliefs also have single portions of a arm or leg sticking straight out in a full three-dimensional pose. High reliefs have greater depth and dimension than the vast relief or shallow relief. There are also reliefs that land between a bass relief and a high relief. They are referred to as mid-reliefs. The mid wall relief wall relief is right at that 50% point of the sculpture projecting out from the wall. 

The most famous frieze of all time is the Parthenon Frieze. Which is actually a pediment, a pediment sits above the rectangular friezes on the front of the building. Where the pediment is in the upper portion of a gable on a roof (the sloping or slanting part of a roof). The pediments are also raised relief style sculptures. But they come to a point and are triangular shaped unlike their frieze counterparts that are rectangular in shape.

So what is the difference between a bas relief and wall frieze? There used interchangeably quite often. The wall frieze as it is called by some, refers to more of a location on a building. “In architecture the frieze /ˈfreeze/ is the top portion of a building directly above the column pedestals that hold up the roof portion of the building.” So a frieze is a portrait captured in stone at the top of a building that are usually rectangular in shape.

Another type of wall frieze is the metope. . Metopes are also raised three-dimensional stone sculptures that make up a picture in stone on the front of Greek and Roman buildings. Metopes for the most part are the same as are the same as a frieze however metopes are usually square and not rectangular. They are also separated by another architectural element called a Triglyph. Triglyphs run vertically between the Metope reliefs and separate them into individual portraits. The triglyphs also have carved fluted vertical lines along there surface like a fluted pedestal only the triglyphs are rectangular in shape. Metopes also come in the shallow form of reliefs like the bas relief, mid relief and high relief. This building here is missing the metopes that have been removed. You can see the triglyphs next to the empty metope spaces.

Wall friezes and wall reliefs, today are made from lightweight fiberglass. Many of them have been made from the original friezes that come from famous buildings around the world. The fiberglass is a lightweight material so they are not as heavy as they look. The fiberglass and resin material captures the detail in these classical wall sculptures. These fiberglass wall friezes look just contemporary today as they did a millennia ago. The wall friezes we carry are easily hung by a cable or mounting hardware on the back. A large frieze may only way 10 to 15 pounds and can be easily hung by one person. They are also waterproof, so they can be hung or mounted outside. Which has gotten more popular in the past few years. With several color and finish options, to match your home decor scheme. Being made of fiberglass they are also easily cleaned and dusted. They can even be cleaned with a wet cloth if need be.