Horse Relief Wood Carving: How Depth Works in a Carved Panel

A horse relief wood carving shows the animal rising from a flat panel, and how far it rises is what defines the kind of relief. Two horse reliefs by wood sculptor Oleg Peresvet, both in iroko, handle that depth in very different ways: one shows a whole head looking out over a stable door, and the other a single eye half hidden by the forelock.

What relief carving is

A relief is carved so that its forms rise from a flat surface instead of standing free. The word comes from the Italian relievare, “to raise.” Reliefs are grouped by how far the forms project from the background:

• Low relief (bas-relief). The forms rise only a little, with almost no undercutting.
• Middle relief (mezzo-relievo). A level between low and high relief.
• High relief (alto-relievo). The forms project by at least half of their natural circumference and can come almost free of the background.
• Sunken relief. The forms are cut into the surface inside carved outlines, mainly in ancient Egyptian art.

The Britannica entry on relief sculpture describes all of these forms in more detail. A single piece can also mix them, with some parts low and others high.

Relief through history

Relief was common on the walls of buildings in ancient Egypt and Assyria, and high relief became widespread in ancient Greece. The Parthenon in Athens, built from 447 to 432 BC, has a frieze that shows the Panathenaic procession in relief, including horsemen.

In the Middle Ages, much relief work went onto the portals of Gothic churches. In the Renaissance, Lorenzo Ghiberti and Donatello combined high and low relief to create the feeling of deep space in a shallow panel. In the Baroque period, reliefs grew into large pictorial scenes, and in the 19th century, sculptors such as François Rude and Auguste Rodin used relief for strong, emotional scenes. Modern sculptors have also used relief for abstract work.

The work of Ghiberti, who lived from about 1378 to 1455, shows how mixing high and low relief can suggest depth. After a competition held in 1401, he made the north doors of the Baptistery in Florence (1403–24), and from 1425 to 1452 he worked on its east doors in gilded bronze, now known as the Gates of Paradise and counted among the greatest works of Italian art. Their panels use perspective and changing depths of relief to suggest space.

Wood has its own masters of the form. Grinling Gibbons, born in Rotterdam in 1648, was working as a woodcarver in Deptford, England, by 1671. He decorated royal rooms for Charles II at Windsor Castle, later worked for William and Mary at Kensington Palace and Hampton Court, and in 1693 was appointed master carver. His work can still be seen in St. Paul’s Cathedral, at Blenheim Palace, and in the carved room at Petworth House, and he also worked in stone.

Horse in the Stable: depth in layers

The first of Oleg Peresvet’s two panels shows a horse looking out over a stable door. The door is built from boards with straps and hinges, and the background behind the horse looks like old, worn planks. The panel is made of iroko.

The planks, the straps and hinges, and the mane are carved at different depths, and the head comes farthest forward, so it seems to reach toward the viewer. The side view of the panel shows how far the head projects from the background. The atelier suggests the piece for a country house or a tack room.

Even the flat parts carry texture. The boards behind the horse show grain and wear, and the straps and rings on the door are carved from the same wood as the rest of the panel.

Horse Eye: a close-up in relief

The second panel comes much closer and shows only one eye of a horse. The forelock is cut into separate strands that stand off the panel, so light falls between them, while the face around the eye is left smooth. This panel is also made of iroko.

In his own description of the piece, Oleg Peresvet points to the anatomical detail of the iris and the folds of the skin around the eye. Close study of the horse’s body has a long history in art: the English painter George Stubbs spent 18 months dissecting horses in a farmhouse in a remote village in Lincolnshire for his book The Anatomy of the Horse, published in 1766.

Stubbs became the leading painter of horses in his time, known for portraits of hunters and racehorses and for scenes such as Mares and Foals in a Landscape. Both scientists and painters used his anatomy book. Born in Liverpool in 1724, the son of a tanner, he was largely self-taught, and in 1770 he painted the dramatic Horse Frightened by a Lion. His last project compared the anatomy of a human, a tiger, and a fowl.

One photo shows Oleg Peresvet holding the panel in a garden, which gives a sense of its size. Others show it on a stone wall from the front and from an angle, where the raised strands of hair stand out most clearly.

Relief panels by Oleg Peresvet

Both horse panels appear on the carved frames page of Oleg Peresvet’s website, next to carved frames and mirror frames with Norse and Mediterranean scenes. Relief panels are also part of his bespoke commissions, which can start from an idea, a sketch, or a reference.

For a commission, the client can choose walnut, oak, iroko, or another wood, and during the carving, which usually takes one to two weeks, the atelier sends photos of the progress. Like the two panels here, a commissioned horse relief wood carving can show a full head or a single detail.

“For me, a relief is never just a flat picture. The depth is what gives it life.”

FAQ

What is a relief wood carving?

A relief wood carving is a carving in which the forms rise from a flat background instead of standing free. How far they rise decides whether it is called low, middle, or high relief.

What is the difference between low relief and high relief?

In low relief, the forms project only slightly from the background. In high relief, they project by at least half of their natural circumference and can come almost free of the background.

What is sunken relief?

In sunken relief, the forms are cut into the surface inside carved outlines instead of rising above it. It is found mainly in ancient Egyptian art.

What wood are Oleg Peresvet’s horse reliefs made of?

Both horse panels, Horse in the Stable and Horse Eye, are made of iroko. For a commission, the client can also choose walnut, oak, or another wood.

Can a horse relief be made to order?

Yes. Relief panels are part of Oleg Peresvet’s bespoke commissions, which can start from an idea, a sketch, or a reference.

To talk about a horse relief or another carved panel for your home or stable, get in touch with Oleg Peresvet.