Carrara marble, Luna marble to the Romans, is a type of white or blue-grey marble popular for use in sculpture and building decor. It has been quarried since Roman times in the mountains just outside the city of Carrara in the province of Massa and Carrara in the Lunigiana, the northernmost tip of modern-day Tuscany, Italy.
Sample sheets, 2016
A Carrara marble quarry
Michelangelo's Pietà, St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City
Jadwiga of Poland's sarcophagus by Antoni Madeyski in Wawel Cathedral, Kraków
Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2)) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions.
Carrara marble quarry in Italy
The Marble Boat, a lakeside pavilion in the Summer Palace in Beijing, China
The Taj Mahal is clad entirely in marble
Folded and weathered marble at General Carrera Lake, Chile