Were Usually An Expression Of Religion Or Politics. Those Cultures Whose Sculptures Have Survived In Quantities Include The Cultures Of The Ancient Mediterranean, India And China.
A Distinction Between Sculpture "In The Round", Free-standing Sculpture Such As Statues, Not Attached Except Possibly At The Base To Any Other Surface, And The Various Types Of Relief, Which Are At Least Partly Attached To A Background Surface. Relief Is Often Classified By The Degree Of Projection From The Wall Into Low Or Bas-relief, High Relief, And Sometimes An Intermediate Mid-relief.
Sunk-relief Is A Technique Restricted To Ancient Egypt. Relief Is The Usual Sculptural Medium For Large Figure Groups And Narrative Subjects, Which Are Difficult To Accomplish In The Round.