Nottingham alabaster is a term used to refer to the English sculpture industry, mostly of relatively small religious carvings, which flourished from the fourteenth century until the early sixteenth ce
Resurrection of Christ, panel from an altarpiece set, 1450–90, with remains of the paint
Fifteenth-century altarpiece set, with contemporary frame and well-preserved paint
Nativity panel, ca 1400, using a composition previously found in French ivories. H. 37.5 cm (14 3⁄4 in.), W. 26 cm (10 in.), D. 4.5 cm (1 3⁄4 in.)
Monument to Edmund Brudenell, d. 1590. After the English Reformation tomb monuments were the mainstay of the industry.
Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms o
Nottingham alabaster
…was around Nottingham. This has led to all the English medieval output being referred to as "Nottingham alabaster". Alabaster, a mineral composed of gypsum and various impurities, is much softer and easier to work than marble and a good material for mass production, though not suitable for outdoor use…
Gypsum from southwest France (27 × 22 cm)
Gypsum crystals are soft enough to bend under pressure of the hand. Sample on display at Musée cantonal de géologie de Lausanne.
Large gypsum crystals in Lechuguilla Cave's "chandelier ballroom"
Gypsum crystals in the Cave of the Crystals in Mexico (person at lower right for scale)