Michelangelo's Statue of David

Florence, Italy

Our marble statues are hand crafted from a single piece of genuine marble – not cast from bonded marble or synthetic materials. Customers that visit our warehouse and showroom often ask whether our statues are done by computer; they are surprised to discover that each one is crafted individually by hand.

Since not everyone is able to see these wonderful statues in person, with the magic of technology, we want to invite you into our virtual marble gallery before you order by providing a picture, video, and rating of each statue that we have in stock.

Like a diamond, marble is a natural material and each block will have its own distinguishing features. Prior to the restoration of Michelangelo’s original “David” in Florence in 2004, Italy's premier marble restoration institute, the Opificio Delle Pietre Dure, mapped out every crack, every chip and every pockmark that existed in the original statue so that every facet would be preserved. Upon completion, the restored statue has all the blemishes that existed when Michelangelo carved it orginially 500 years earlier. These characteristics add to the uniqueness of each marble statue.

1. Presence of Fissures
2. Quality of Veining
3. Consistency of Coloration
4. Presence of Pockmarks
5. Accuracy in Proportion
6. Overall Beauty of Statue

Each criterion is rated on a 1-5 scale with a 5 being the most desirable.

This vein is a natural feature of the marble

DID YOU KNOW: Marble was formed as the earth's tectonic plates merged and the heat, friction and pressure caused the sedimentary limestone to re-crystallize and metamorphose. During the metamorphic process, natural minerals such as sand, iron oxide, manganese and clay fused into the marble and created colorful streaks known as "veins". ("Marble." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; www.wikipedia.com)

Marble is typically a very dramatic material with lots of veining. For architectural items, like large columns, veining is often highly desired. With statues, the presence of distinct veining in primary areas can detract from the beauty of the statue; so, typically, minimal veining is preferred for statues.

A statue with light veining that flows in the same direction and is in non-primary areas will garner a 5. If veining is prevalent or in primary areas like the face, the statue will score lower on the scale.

	Veining is light or non-existent with a nice flow on the statue’s body. No noticeable veining on face.
	Veining is light with a more random flow on the statue’s body. No noticeable veining on face.
	Veining is moderate on the statue’s body. Veining is light or non-existent on face.
	Significant veining exists on the statue’s body or Veining is moderate on the statue’s face.
	Significant veining exists on the face. (Illustration: 2)

Example of a large fissure:
A fissure is a natural crack in the marble

DID YOU KNOW: Fissures are formed when two separate flows of liquid hot magma merge into a single mass. It's all about Nature. Fissures exist in marble when it is quarried and, as seen in Michelangelo’s five hundred year old “David” (considered by some to be the most perfect statue ever sculpted!), they will remain for the life of the statue. Most fissures are only seen on close inspection, but sometimes they can exist in larger sizes in more prominent areas on a statue.

According to the dictionary, a fissure is a "junction or line of separation within a single intact mass of stone" - naturally occurring in materials like diamond and marble. Some people express trepidation when there are fissure in their marble statues. But, a fissure is not a defect.

Accordingly, we will disclose to you when fissures are present in your statue. We rate the presence of fissures where 5 represents the absence of fissure (typically the most desired) and 1 represents a significant fissure in a very visible primary area such as the face.

	No fissures in the statue surface noticed during the inspection
	Minor fissures exist but are not noticeable during casual observation
	Minor fissures or gaps exist that are noticeable during casual observation but in non-primary areas of the statue
	Significant fissures or gaps exist in non-primary areas or minor fissures or gaps that exist in primary areas of the statue
	Significant fissures or gaps exist in a primary area

Absorbed discoloration in and around pockmarks

DID YOU KNOW: Coloration in marble, or polychromatophilia, may be the result of the stone's natural exposure to a variety of organic substances. Some of the most common explanations for natural coloration in marble is when the stone comes in direct contact with leaves or plant matter, bird or animal bi-products, metallic deposits (i.e. rust), or dirt or sand. ("MARBLE: CHARACTERISTICS, USES AND PROBLEMS." U.S. General Services Administration; Report: 04455-01)

These materials when allowed to remain in contact are absorbed into the pores of the marble and can can cause very dramatic coloration. Typically, once the source of the staining has been removed, the discoloration can be bleached out.

Our marble statues are hand sculpted from natural, organic marble. As a result of the porosity of the natural stone, some discoloration may occur. We will make every effort to remove organic pleochroic coloring from your marble statue. We rate the consistency of coloration accordingly:

	No discoloration is noticed during the inspection.
	Minor discoloration is present but in a location that is unlikely to be noticed by the casual observer.
	Minor to Moderate discoloration exists in a non-primary area of the statue (Illustration: 3).
	Significant discoloration exists in a non-primary area or minor discoloration exists in a primary area of the statue
	Significant discoloration is present in a primary area of the statue

Pockmarks will be filled and polished before shipping

DID YOU KNOW: In 1993, the EPA found that acid rain was causing damage to many of the world's historical monuments and buildings including the Statue of Liberty and the Egyptian pyramids. Examination of the 700-year-old, 37-foot-tall bronze Great Buddha of Kamakura, an important symbol of Japanese culture, shows pock marks and rust as a result of acid rain ("Acid Rain - What Is Acid Rain?" Science Encyclopedia)

We make every effort to fill all pock marks so that they are no longer visible using a polymer paste composed of marble dust and epoxy. Accordingly, we rate your statue a 5 if it has no pock marks.

	No pockmarks on the surface of statue
	Minor pockmarks were present in non-primary areas of the surface but were filled and are not visible to the casual observer
	Minor pockmarks were present in a primary areas of the surface but were filled and are not visible to the casual observer.
	Minor pockmarks were present in primary areas or Significant pockmarks were present in non-primary areas and after being filled are still visible to the casual observer.
	Significant pockmarks were present in primary areas and, after filling, are visible to the casual observer.

Hands larger than normal

Our marble sculptures are created by some of the finest artisans in the world. Each of our statues are sculpted from a solid piece of marble by hand – no machines or molds are used. Sometimes, we have our sculptors recreating a statue from photographs or descriptions with very little visual aides to accomplish this monumental task. As a result, occasionally we receive a statue with slightly skewed proportions.

We rate our statues based upon proportion. We know you expect all aspects of your statue to be as described. Therefore, we give a rating of 5 to our statues that are proportionally correct.

	Statues is proportionally correct – hand, feet and facial features are proportional to the height of the statue
	Some areas are out of proportion but barely perceptible. Not apparent in casual examination
	Minor areas appear out of proportion during casual observation but in non-primary areas of the statue.
	Significant areas of disproportion may be visible in non-primary areas of the statue.
	Significant areas of disproportion may exist in primary areas of statue

This sculpture of Laocoön (Trojan priest to
Poseidon) was truly remarkable!

This is perhaps the most subjective of all of the grades, but because it is so important it contributes to half of the overall grade of a statue. The overall beauty of a statue is really a measurement of how a statue appears upon casual observation compared to our average statue. As such, it should come as no surprise that our average statue is going to receive a score of 3 diamonds in this grading system.

Here is how these statues are scored:

	A statue that just absolutely stands out as being “impressive” will receive this score. We limit this rating to only our top 10% of statues.
	A statue that is well done but just doesn't quite make it into our top 10%.
	Even our average statues are really impressive. Most statues on our website will receive this score.
	Perhaps a beautiful statue, but there are some minor attributes that drop this below our average score.
	A statue that has significant factors that detract from its overall beauty will receive this score.