Fini / Non fini
The deliberate degree of finish or visible incompletion chosen by the sculptor.
Technique
Finish
The final character of a sculptural surface produced by tools, abrasives, polishing, patination, or deliberate retention of working marks.
Fond
In relief sculpture, the background plane or deepest field from which the subject emerges.
Fouiller
To carve deeply into recessed passages in order to clarify folds, openings, separations, and shadow.
Foundry
A workshop or industrial facility equipped for casting metal sculpture.
Grazia
Vasari's term for the indefinable grace that makes a work appear effortless — the un non so che of perfect art.
Polishing
The progressive refinement of a stone surface with increasingly fine abrasives until the desired sheen is reached.
Abattis
In traditional sculpture and molding, abattis are secondary or projecting parts of a figure that are modeled or molded separately, such as arms, hands, heads, or legs.
Amaigrir
In French modeling vocabulary, amaigrir literally means 'to become thinner.' It describes the loss of volume that occurs as modeling clay dries and shrinks; a figure that has contracted during drying is said to have amaigri.
Âme
The interior iron rod — the “soul” — that supports a wax or clay sculptural figure.