Marble s popularity began in ancient rome and greece where white and off white marble was used to construct a variety of structures from hand held sculptures to massive.
Why do sculptors love to work with marble.
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions it is one of the plastic arts durable sculptural processes originally used carving the removal of material and modelling the addition of material as clay in stone metal ceramics wood and other materials but since modernism there has been an almost complete freedom of materials and process.
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.
Marble does not bear handling well as it will absorb skin oils when touched which leads to yellow brownish staining.
A fine texture enabled the sculptor to achieve greater detail with their work.
It s a metamorphic stone that is a result of limestone being subjected to immense amount of pressure for long periods of time.
The project was then delayed for nearly 30 years due to a lack of funds.
Initial work on the structure was done using marble from a quarry located near texas maryland.
The other extreme choice of.
Marble is one of the oldest and most beautiful stones available on the market for countertops.
Because it is soft and has a uniform texture.
Shields expose precambrian metamorphic rocks.
When construction resumed in 1876 similar stone from the texas quarry was not available so stone from the sheffield quarry near sheffield massachusetts was used.
Where are metamorphic rocks found.
The process by which deeply buried rocks end up back at the surface.
Why do sculptors love to work with marble.
But the smaller crystals created a duller surface that was more likely to tarnish by the collection of small particles of dirt in crevices between these minute crystals.
Sculptors like marble because while relatively soft and easy to work when first quarried it becomes extremely hard and dense with age and is also available in a variety of shades and patterns.