Stone speaks in a variety of ways, such as on Bas Reliefs in the Philippines. On many churches in the Philippines, most especially those which were built during the Spanish colonial period are carvings that depict everything from heavenly scenes to requests that go on to live on for centuries. They are present on the walls of churches, ancestral houses and fortifications that still survive to us today. Through them were are able to learn much of the past and details that would otherwise be lost to history.
Above are the following examples of Bas Relief:
- A Bas Relief of St Michael rescuing a child from what appears to be the gaping mouth of a demon. Highly imaginative visioning like this one is characteristic of art. Location: Capilla Mortuario, Argao
- A Bas relief and cartouche of the Sacred heart and some details on the construction of the belltower. Location: Baclayon Church, Bohol.
- A prayer written in Latin beseeching the intercession for prayers from Saint Vincent Ferrer, the patron saint of builders. Location: Punta Cruz Watchtower, Maribojoc, Bohol.
- A bas relief on the frieze of the gate at Fort San Pedro, Cebu.
- A Bas Relief of the all seeing eye on God with a cartouche of detailing when the church was completed. Location: Loay Church, Bohol Province
Bas Relief is a technique in sculpture/carving wherein a design is slightly raised from its background to give it a 3D look that emphasizes it from the plain wall behind it. It is likely that the art of bas relief was taught by the Spanish friars and Chinese artisans of the past. Through these Bas Reliefs one can take that Filipinos are a very ornamental people and desire that no space remain unfilled at least when these reliefs were made when the style of Baroque-Roccoco was in full effect.
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