Carrara marble
Reference articles are in English.
Shell, a Carrara Statuario marble sculpture by Mihailo Stošović. Source
Description
Carrara marble comes from the Apuan Alps in Tuscany, Italy. The name covers several commercial selections, commonly with white to bluish-grey backgrounds and grey veining. Grain, soundness and vein direction are considered when selecting a block for sculpture or slabs for furniture and architectural work.
History
Carrara belongs to Italy’s established marble-working tradition. Marble has been used for figurative and architectural carving for centuries, with workshop methods ranging from direct carving to the transfer of models into stone.
Commissioning
The quarry or commercial selection and the actual block or slabs should be identified. Finish, edges and the direction of prominent veins are best agreed before cutting. Statuario is a particular Carrara-area selection, with its own appearance, rather than a name for every Carrara marble.