Marble has been the material of choice for sculptors and builders for centuries, from the Neolithic to the present day, and is a symbol of traditional refined taste. Crystalline limestone (95% calcite), as marble is professionally known, is formed by recrystallising the original limestones at high temperatures and pressures.
Marbles are mostly bright white but due to dispersion of various impurities they can be coloured and patterned in various ways – from white, cream, brown to grey, blue and black, with numerous veining, often in contrasting shades of the base colour. Italy is one of the most famous marble deposits.
The Taj Mahal, Agra, India, and Michelangelo Buonarroti’s statue of David are examples of important artefacts created by the human hand from marble.
