The word “marble” comes from the Greek μάρμαρον (mármaron) or μάρμαρος (mármaros), which means shining rock.
Due to this characteristic, marble has always been used in architecture and in the creation of fountains as a fundamental aesthetic element
Light “penetrates” into the stone thanks to its high percentage of calcite, a mineral with a low refraction that makes it bright.
In our projects, marble becomes a cladding stone or water flowing surface, enriched by the additional luminous reflections given by the movement of water.
Marble in classical architecture
Due to these brightness characteristics, marble has always been used in sculpture and architecture. Ancient Greece was rich in marble quarries, especially white marble, which led to the construction of the majestic temples of the Acropolis.
In ancient republican Rome it was considered a precious and luxury material that was imported from the peripheral territories of the empire and used in public spaces and private villas of the patricians.
To reduce transport costs, marble was generally extracted from quarries close to the sea, to load the blocks directly onto the ship.
Extraction and processing
Today, once extracted, the marble is worked in slabs with a thickness between 1 cm and 30 cm. Thinner slabs would be too thin and very fragile, therefore difficult to work.
There are many contemporary marble types of working, all inspired by the classical tradition, but made current by important stylistic and manufacturing innovations: polishing, which can be chemical or mechanical, bush-hammering that gives the surface a “sculpted” effect, brushing and acidification that gives and ancient-look-like-effect to the surface.
For its projects Forme d’Acqua carefully chooses the best marbles not only for aesthetic factors, but also for size, cutting and finishing, all elements that will have different effects on water.
An ancient material, noble, elegant but above all unique because natural, which in fountains is enriched by the effect of flowing water.
