Featured Help with ID if real marble sculptures

Discussion in 'Antique Discussion' started by David 90, May 3, 2020.

  1. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

    Are they equally easy to scratch? What did you use to test: fingernail? knife/metal?

    Maybe nothing here, since 2 or 3 of the proposed stones would react to it, but in my world people use it as one test for determining whether something is calcium carbonate based or not.
     
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  2. David 90

    David 90 Member

    Hi they will not scratch with a fingernail. But will with the tip of a knife. Has alabaster got the glitter look ? Both these have that glitter affect under light. Thanks again.
     
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  3. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

    I know marble can have, but haven't seen enough alabaster (there are 2 stones that are commonly called alabaster, one softer than the other) up close to know if it also has that grainy, sugary quality. My impression is that it does not. We need one of our members who knows minerals better than I do.
     
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  4. David 90

    David 90 Member

    Ok
    That's great is there anyone I could ask I'm particular? Thanks again
     
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  5. antidiem

    antidiem Well-Known Member

    I'm no minerals expert, but I've always loved both alabaster and marble sculptures, the latter I prefer, of course!

    All 3 pieces look like marble to me, not alabaster. Additionally, I believe alabaster in a dirty shop would look much more filthy - @David 90 - other than brushing them off, did you clean these with water or anything?

    What type of work shop did the wood worms love ? :p
     
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  6. David 90

    David 90 Member

    Thanks for the information. I didn't clean as didn't want to make things worse. That's why I don't over clean things I have found metal detecting. You end up making it worse . Oh and the workshop was used for textiles a long time ago. And has been used to store the furniture. But now I'm about to start using it as my workshop. I just need to treat it to rid the woodworm. I still can't believe they eat wicker furniture. Went to move it and it almost turned to dust lol.
     
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  7. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

    Just as well. Found this when I was trying to figure out how to clean an unpolished marble statue I have. Pretty much scared me off touching it at all:

    http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/c/cleaning-marble/
     
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  8. kyratango

    kyratango Bug jewellery addiction!

    Both pieces look like marble to me with these micro cristalline sparkles:cyclops:
     
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  9. clutteredcloset49

    clutteredcloset49 Well-Known Member

    If you mean grainy, it can be, yes.
    From wiki and I didn't read it all. Appears to be a calcite.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alabaster

    Also from wiki "Calcite is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of calcium carbonate."
    So the vinegar interacts with alabaster.

    I'm pretty sure I used vinegar and salt to try and remove stains from a marble table top. It was years ago and I just went to verify that was a method that would have been used. Now all I can find is Don't use vinegar on marble.
    Yet I'm almost positive that's what I used - No bubbling.

    Maybe @gregsglass will know if vinegar interacts with marble.
     
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  10. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

    Marble is metamorphic limestone, so calcium carbonate based. (Geologists only apply the word 'alabaster' to the softer, gypsum-related material, not to the harder calcite type.) Under the right conditions it can develop an incrustation similar to the 'Byne's Disease' that can afflict sea- & eggshells.

    As the V&A article starts by saying, you have to decide the importance of the object & your own priorities before starting a cleaning treatment. Museum conservators are responsible for preserving items for generations to come; they don't like to lose a single molecule of something, so favor very conservative methods. There may not have been any overt bubbling, but an application of acetic acid & salt probably did the job by removing some of the marble too. I had a degree of success when I tried baking soda toothpaste on some patches of my sculpture, rubbed in with a finger, removed with a damp sponge. She's now under a loosely fitting dry cleaner bag to prevent picking up any further grunge.

    I don't know if she's looking at non-urgent e-mail right now, but Holly Trusted at the V&A has been very kind & generous to me. She would be someone to ask about any possible historical importance of these pieces.
     
  11. David 90

    David 90 Member

    [FLOAT_LEFT[/FLOAT_LEFT] great info I had some success with just rubbing with my fingers and some water. I just don't want to clean them in the wrong way and end up regretting. I appreciate your knowledge and advice.
     
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  12. antidiem

    antidiem Well-Known Member

    Good idea not to over-clean, I ruined a piece of alabaster that way.
     
  13. Figtree3

    Figtree3 What would you do if you weren't afraid?

    Nice! For a brief while some years ago I started collecting hands made out of all sort of material. Mostly ceramic or glass. The information here is inspirational... maybe I'll start looking again, once restrictions are lifted.

    And welcome to Antiquers, @David 90 !
     
  14. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

  15. David 90

    David 90 Member

    Oh wow that's something. And worth a pretty penny too I will handle with even more care lol thanks .
     
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  16. antidiem

    antidiem Well-Known Member

    LOL : I bought my first glass hand in New York at a restaurant supply house! ;)
     
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  17. Figtree3

    Figtree3 What would you do if you weren't afraid?

    Do you have a collection of them? :)
     
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  18. antidiem

    antidiem Well-Known Member

    Not anymore, and I never had a marble hand! So jelly! ;) ;)
    I noticed I still have one of those inexpensive cobalt blue glass hands (perhaps it is a ring holder?) on my kitchen window sill! I thought I'd sold them all of my extra hands at my last garage sale for my shop a few years back! ;)
     
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