Marble sculpture: Encyclopedia II - Marble sculpture - Material origin and qualities

Marble sculpture - Material origin and qualities

Marble is deposited by precipitation from water. The original source will be limestone, which is dissolved in water by the weak carbonic acid present in rainwater. This can migrate underground and be deposited in voids (which typically are created by a previous dissolution of limestone or marble). Owing to this water-born deposition, limestone can have fluid patterns of mineral staining, usually gray to black. The finest marbles for sculpture have no or few stains (some natural stain can be seen in the sculpture shown at left, which the sculptor has skillfully incorporated into the sculpture).

Marble sculpture - Advantages

Among the commonly available stones only marble has a slight surface translucency that is comparable to that of human skin. It is this translucency that gives a marble scuplture a visual depth beyond its surface and this evokes a certain realism when used for figurative works. Marble also has the advantage that when first quarried it is relatively soft and easy to work, refine, and polish. As the finshed marble ages it becomes harder and more durable. Preference to the cheaper and less translucent limestone is based largely on the fineness of marble's grain, which enables the sculptor to render minute detail in a manner not always possible with limestone; it is also more weather resistant.

Marble sculpture - Disadvantages

Marble does not bear handling well as it will absorb skin oils when touched, which leads to yellow to brownish staining. While more resistant than limestone it is subject to attack by weak acids, and so performs poorly in outdoor environments subject to acid rain. For severe environments, granite is a more lasting material but one which is far more difficult to work and much less suitable for refined works such as that shown at the left.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Material origin and qualities", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki