carvings
Shapes from wood
Carvings are objects or designs shaped by cutting away material—typically wood, stone, or ice.
The word emphasizes the finished products rather than the process: ancient carvings on temple walls, intricate carvings decorating the mantelpiece.
Carvings range from folk art to fine sculpture, and the term often suggests handcraft and traditional technique.
Knife-carving wood into shapes
- chiselEdged carving implement
- gougeConcave carving blade
- malletSoft-headed striking tool
- woodcutRelief print from timber
relief · fretwork · scrollwork · woodworking · woodblock · decoy · lovespoon · netsuke
Edged carving implement
- marbleRecrystallized limestone rock
- graniteIgneous rock, quartz-rich
- limestoneCarbonate sedimentary rock
- alabasterTranslucent carving stone
soapstone · jade · slate · bas-relief · relief · inscription · petroglyph · quarry
Three-dimensional sculpted likeness
- bustFailure or sculpture
- figurineSmall ornamental sculpture
- effigySculpted human representation
- idolObject of worship
relief · bas-relief · armature · maquette · sculptor · modelling · anatomy · drapery
Spiritual clan symbol
- hieroglyphsAncient Egyptian picture-writing
- runesOld Germanic script
- petroglyphCarved image on stone
- glyphVisual form of character
pictogram · ideogram · emblem · crest · insignia · seal · monogram · iconography
Ornamental architectural band
- corniceOrnamental upper trim
- moldingDecorative architectural edging
- traceryDecorative branching stonework
- filigreeDelicate twisted-wire ornamentation
rosette · acanthus · arabesque · fluting · dentil · pilaster · capital · cartouche
Human-made historical object
- relicPreserved ancient object
- antiquityGreat age, ancient era
- archaeologyStudy of physical remnants
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
restoration · conservation · museum · tradition · ritual · ancestry · indigenous · cultural
whittling
Knife-carving wood into shapes
woodcut · relief · fretwork · scrollwork · woodworking · woodblock · decoy · lovespoon · netsuke · figurehead
chisel
Edged carving implement
- marbleRecrystallized limestone rock
- graniteIgneous rock, quartz-rich
- limestoneCarbonate sedimentary rock
alabaster · soapstone · jade · slate · bas-relief · relief · inscription · petroglyph · quarry · mason
statue
Three-dimensional sculpted likeness
idol · relief · bas-relief · armature · maquette · sculptor · modelling · anatomy · drapery · patina
totem
Spiritual clan symbol
- hieroglyphsAncient Egyptian picture-writing
- runesOld Germanic script
- petroglyphCarved image on stone
glyph · pictogram · ideogram · emblem · crest · insignia · seal · monogram · iconography · motif
frieze
Ornamental architectural band
- corniceOrnamental upper trim
- moldingDecorative architectural edging
- traceryDecorative branching stonework
filigree · rosette · acanthus · arabesque · fluting · dentil · pilaster · capital · cartouche · festoon
artifact
Human-made historical object
- relicPreserved ancient object
- antiquityGreat age, ancient era
- archaeologyStudy of physical remnants
preservation · restoration · conservation · museum · tradition · ritual · ancestry · indigenous · cultural · ethnographic
- ancient artifactsjade mask, Viking sword, bronze sculptures, antiquities, Roman coin
- archaeologyexcavation, dig site, archaeologist, dig, archaeological digs
- Maori heritageAotearoa, Maori, mana, pa, tapu
- MesoamericaMaya, Aztec, Aztecs, Aztec Empire, Olmec
- church artaltarpieces, altars, crucifixes, crosses, reliquaries
- Gothic artgothic architecture, Gothic art, pointed arches, rose windows, tracery
carvingscastings
Shaped molten material
moldings · molds · assemblages · constructions · 3D prints
- pumpkin carvingSculpting faces in gourds
- wood carvingSculpting with timber
- carving knifeBlade for slicing roasts
- ivory carvingSculpture from animal tusks
- stone carvingSculptural work in rock
- carving knivesBlades for slicing roasts