Marble

    The word marble has its origin from Ancient Greece where the word mamaros meant “a shining stone”. Although polished marble does not exhibit this shimmering of light quality, it can be found where edges have become rough from wear-and-tear. It can even shed tiny marble crystals that appear to the unaided eye as dust. Marble has a chemical composition of calcium carbonate, and the various colors of different marbles is caused by trace minerals in the calcium carbonate. The variety of colors include blue, violet, rose red, black yellow, pink, or green. Michelangelo, the master Renaissance artist, chose marble as the medium for his most famous sculptures. Italy has since been renowned for its marble natural resources; however, the reputation for marble has even earlier roots from Ancient Rome. The emperor Augustus utilized marble for the construction of buildings which at the time of the Pax Romana. These commissioned works boosted the reputation of marble, Romans began walking on marble, and the streets were occupied by its transport. 

     In metaphysics, marble is received as the stone of potential. A gift of marble as a symbol recognition commemorates realized potential. A spirit in-tuned with marble is thought to be prepared for transformation. The exhibition of marble demonstrates self-control and common sense. Polished marble symbolizes serenity — the feeling of peace after accomplishing a great task. Carrara marble from Tuscany is known to diffuse light that can penetrate up to a few millimeters under its surface giving it a quality of sophistication. Since I am interested in the origins of the lore, the rest of this essay will focus on the writing of the Great Albert Magnus, medieval lapidary, magician, and saint.

     Marble is the metamorphosed remains of seashells turned into limestone. Then, tts crystals harden under heat and pressure forming a layer in the Earth’s surface. Not being a particularly hard stone, it's a wonder how marble became so popular as a building material, but it was used to build monuments, capitols, floors, spiritual temples, and staircases. Albert Magnes wrote about marbles as a homeomerous group, so they could be classified by their similar parts. His first observation was that few red stones were as large as marble then on closer examination found small red inclusions in marble that were probably feldspar. As it turned out, some marbles after being broken out sparkled as if mixed with a metal. Although the reason he found for it was not correct, it was his opinion that the surface gleams or sparkles made marble a stone nobler than others. His examination of the different colors which he explains in terms of mixtures of Earth with various quantities of water concludes with an interesting statement, that is "Let this statement, then, be sufficient about the color of stones."  Certainly, the alteration of the crystals that he described as transparent were the cause of the sparkles.

     Marble was believed to have a quality similar to gems because unlike gross stone the nature of the Earth imparted within it images. The meaning of this at the time was by artificial means an image can emerge from a stone. The color of stars were said to be the colors of gems; that is to say, nature imitates art. Looking more closely at Michelangelo's David that was made of Carrara marble, one might find a problem with this theory of image magic. Like other theories, image magic has its merit. David was after all a king. Marble has an association with nobility; it was used in the first century as a dedication. The names of a procession were inscribed on the marble pedestal of a statue dedicated to the pagan deity, Bacchus. The names on the pedestal are found in descending order, possibly as allusion to Roman law. Although I am unsure of this sort of order occurring during the Renaissance, I am quite sure that the Renaissance combined the designs Greek architecture with those Roman. Pedestals were considered ornamental so were created as a separate work. 

"I say then, that when I was at Venice, as a young man, marble was being cut with saws to decorate the walls of a church. And it happened when one marble had been cut in two and the cut slabs were placed side by side, there appeared a most beautiful picture of a king's head with a crown and a long beard. The picture did not seem to have any fault at all except one -- the middle of the forehead seemed too high, extending up toward the top of the head." (1261)

    Although the uses of stone called masonry does not usually invoke the Stone Age, think for a moment that pre-historic Man first fashioned stone over other material. For what purpose? Marble because of the ability of cement to bind with it is contrasted with flint because flint can ruin walls. Marble also contrasts chalk; the reason being, if chalk was used to build a wall, the rough surface of the chalk would cause the stones to fall out. The wall would become earthen. Not that an earthen wall would be intentionally constructed, rather flint was not used because cement did not adhere well to it. For this reason, marble was more suited for walls. What's can be easily understood is how bolts are useful fasteners for marbles, so one may imagine such marbles as the veneer (or drywall) of a church. Sandstone was, of course, best of them all; yet it's this veneer which is not known to exist at the time. 

     Sarcophagus is an interesting stone in the Book Of Minerals because the word origins of sarcophagus is from two words in Greek, one meaning "to eat" and the other "flesh". From the combination of these two words, a fable about the sarcophagus stone was passed by tradition through the ages. After thirty days, it was believed that the sarcophagus completely consumed a corpse. And as a final remark, from this stone monuments were built. In an editor's note, she identifies marble as the stone; then also identifies quicklime. Obviously, the sarcophagus stone cannot be both.

     The dedication found on today's marble bases must be from modernization, a reworking of the past into something new, albeit from a past that did not exist in some ways. Statuary was not awarded to the winner of athletic events neither in early-modern history nor in the ancient past. Marble used in presentation of an award appears to be an adaptation. Italian base marble is an invention of the 20th century; Greek amphorae are contrary of the fact.. The marble used for a base symbolizes public display although sarcasm could be at play. Sarcasm in the sense of the binary opposition of public versus private in art. Either way, reception of an award with a base promotes art. Moreover, the awards given reflect the generosity of an organization and its willingness to give more so than the artist himself.