Carrara Marble
Download PDFThe Carrara marble quarries in the Apuane Alps, near the Mediterranean sea between Pisa and Parma, have been famous since roman tilmes, even though the marble industry really developed during the Medici period in the Renaissance. The marble extracted in Carrara is white, sometimes with grey veins. This marble is of semi-statuary quality (see photo 1), which adds a distinct shine and refinement to objects carved out of this marble.
Carrara marble was also used on both sculptures and architectural elements. It is the whitest, finest and most luxurious of marbles.
Bibliography
J. Dubarry de Lasalle, Identifying marbles, Ed. H. Vial, Dourdan, 2000
J. Dubarry de Lasalle, Using marbles, Ed. H. Vial, Dourdan, 2005
P. Julien, Marbels, From Quarries to Palaces, ed. Le Bec en l'air, Manosque, 2006
Marmi antichi, collective work, ed. De Luca, Rome, 1998