“Mamo, the Italian word for marble, comes from the Greek marmairein, meaning “to shine”. Geologically speaking, marble is limestone transformed by the heat and pressure of the earth’s crust into a medium-hard, crystalline rock. Cold to the touch, marble yields willingly to the sculptor’s chisel. Over time, white statuary acquires an ivory patina remarkably evocative of the warmth of human flesh.” Marble Statues Book:Young Michelangelo: The Path to the Sistine Source: Young Michelangelo: The Path to the Sistine