Alabaster lady
This elegant sculpture of a young woman’s head, crafted from warm beige Spanish alabaster, captures the delicate beauty and fluidity of the material.
The sculpture, created during a symposium in Albanchez, Spain, explores new materials and techniques in stonework. With her long, flowing hair and serene expression, the figure radiates calmness and grace, enhanced by the alabaster’s semi-translucent quality that gives the piece a soft, almost glowing appearance.
Alabaster is a unique stone known for its fine grain and translucent properties, making it highly prized by sculptors for centuries. It comes in a variety of warm, natural tones, with the Spanish alabaster used here offering a rich beige hue that enhances the sculpture’s natural warmth and depth.
Unlike harder stones such as marble or granite, alabaster is relatively soft—ranking around 2 to 3 on the Mohs hardness scale—which allows for intricate detailing, but it also requires a delicate hand and refined technique during carving. Despite its softness compared to marble (which ranks around 3 to 5 on the Mohs scale), alabaster is durable enough to create lasting works of art while offering a distinct semi-transparency that other stones cannot achieve.
Traditionally, alabaster has been used for fine sculpture, decorative pieces, and even architecture, due to its softness and visual appeal. In this sculpture, the discovery of new materials allowed the artist to push the boundaries of what could be achieved in stone, resulting in a figure that seems to capture both the solid beauty of stone and the ethereal nature of light.
This piece not only serves as an artistic achievement but also as an exploration of the versatile uses of alabaster, adding an elegant and timeless presence to any space.
