In Microsoft Word 2007 and 2010, images are DrawingML objects whilst shapes are VML objects.

Does anyone know how to set the relativeHeight in the anchor DrawingML object and the z-index value in the VML pict object so as to control which one is in front when the two objects overlap?

Both objects should be behind text, so anchor has behindDoc set to 1 whilst the z-index in pict must be negative. I worked this thing out by looking at what MS Word is doing.

Here is where things get tricky: relativeHeight must be positive as from specs whilst z-index must be negative as from empirical evidence. So how can the VML object ever be in front since the specs say the higher the z-ordering the more in front.

Yes there is a way to do it since MS Word has its own way to work things out. Only I cannot figure out the logic and the specs say nothing about intersecting VML and DrawingML objects as far as I could see.

Thanks!