Polychrome marble bust depicting the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, made in the 1950s.

Ø cm 17 Ø cm 9 h cm 26

"Polychrome marble" refers to the use of marbles of different colors in a work of art or architecture. This technique, which dates back to antiquity, has been used to create decorative effects of great visual impact.

Polychrome marble takes advantage of the wide range of colors and veining found in different types of marble, such as Carrara white marble, Siena yellow marble, Verona red marble, and many others.
The combination of contrasting colored marbles allows for the creation of complex designs and decorative patterns.

The techniques used to work with polychrome marble include inlay, mosaic, and incrustation.
Inlay consists of inserting pieces of marble of different colors into a base surface, creating a design.
"Il commesso" is a technique of inlay that uses hard stones, in addition to marble.
The incrustation involves the covering of surfaces with thin slabs of marble.

Polychrome marble has been widely used in religious architecture, particularly in Baroque churches, to create altars, floors, and wall coverings. It has also been employed in sculpture to create works of great decorative value. In the field of furniture, it is used for the creation of table tops, floors, and luxury coverings.