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alabaster
alabaster A term applied to two types of soft, translucent stone that are similar in appearance but different in composition. The first, known variously as calcite alabaster, Egyptian alabaster, or onyx marble, is a form of calcium carbonate. It was much used by the ancient Egyptians, particularly for small items, including vases and boxes, but also for larger objects such as sarcophagi. Subsequently it has been used in various types of carving (generally small-scale), sometimes to exploit beautiful colours streaking the stone (caused by the presence of iron or other minerals). The second type, sometimes distinguished as gypsum alabaster or true alabaster, is a form of gypsum (calcium sulphate). It was extensively used in sculpture in the later Middle Ages. In addition to being easily cut and polished, it has the advantage that it can be painted and gilded without any priming. Its most notable use was in small altarpieces, which from about 1350 to 1550 were made in great numbers in England, many of them for export—they were sent mainly to France but also as far afield as Iceland and Russia. The best collection of such altarpieces is in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and other fine examples are in the Castle Museum at Nottingham, a town that was famed for its ‘alabastermen’ (the industry was mainly based in the Midlands, the chief quarries being in Derbyshire and Staffordshire). The production of religious images was cut off abruptly by the Reformation, but alabaster continued to be used for tomb sculpture until the 18th century. Some modern sculptors, for example Henry Moore, have used alabaster for small-scale sculptures.
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IAN CHILVERS. "alabaster." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. IAN CHILVERS. "alabaster." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O3-alabaster.html IAN CHILVERS. "alabaster." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O3-alabaster.html |
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alabaster
alabaster. A term applied to two types of soft, translucent stone that are similar in appearance but different in composition. The first, known variously as calcite alabaster, Egyptian alabaster, or onyx marble, is a form of calcium carbonate. It was much used by the ancient Egyptians, particularly for small items, including vases and boxes, but also for larger objects such as sarcophagi. Subsequently it has been used in various types of carving (generally small scale), sometimes to exploit beautiful colours streaking the stone (caused by the presence of iron or other minerals). The second type, sometimes distinguished as gypsum alabaster or true alabaster, is a form of gypsum (calcium sulphate). It was extensively used in sculpture in the later Middle Ages. In addition to being easily cut and polished, it has the advantage that it can be painted and gilded without any priming. Its most notable use was in small altarpieces, which from about 1350 to 1550 were made in great numbers in England, many of them for export—they were sent mainly to France but also as far afield as Iceland and Russia. The best collection of such altarpieces is in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and other fine examples are in the Castle Museum at Nottingham, a town that was famed for its ‘alabastermen’ (the industry was mainly based in the Midlands, the chief quarries being in Derbyshire and Staffordshire). The production of religious images was ended by the Reformation, but alabaster continued to be used for tomb sculpture until the 18th century. Some modern sculptors, for example Henry Moore, have used it for small-scale works.
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Cite this article
IAN CHILVERS. "alabaster." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. IAN CHILVERS. "alabaster." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-alabaster.html IAN CHILVERS. "alabaster." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-alabaster.html |
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alabaster
alabaster. Massive, fine-grained partly translucent type of gypsum (calcium sulphate), coloured white, yellow, red, and brown, called bastard alabaster, often employed for church fittings and monuments. Oriental or calcareous alabaster is a translucent calcium carbonate, yellowish-white in colour, broken with milky veins. Thin slabs of oriental alabaster were often used in window-lights (especially in Italy), and the sarcophagus of Pharaoh Seti I, now in Sir John Soane's Museum, London, is made of this material.
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JAMES STEVENS CURL. "alabaster." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAMES STEVENS CURL. "alabaster." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O1-alabaster.html JAMES STEVENS CURL. "alabaster." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O1-alabaster.html |
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alabaster
alabaster fine-grained, massive, translucent variety of gypsum , a hydrous calcium sulfate. It is pure white or streaked with reddish brown. Alabaster, like all other forms of gypsum, forms by the evaporation of bedded deposits that are precipitated mainly from evaporating seawater. It is soft enough to be scratched with a fingernail and hence it is easily broken, soiled, and weathered. Because of its softness, alabaster is often carved for statuary and other decorative purposes. It is quarried in England and also in Italy. Vases and statuettes of Italian alabaster are sold as "Florentine marbles." The term "Oriental alabaster" is a misnomer and actually refers to marble , a calcium carbonate; whereas gypsum is a calcium sulfate. Important sources of alabaster are Algeria, Egypt, Iran, and Mexico (from which it is exported under the name Mexican onyx); in the United States there are important sources in Utah and Arizona. Oriental alabaster (marble) was extensively used by the Egyptians in sarcophagi, in the linings of tombs, in the walls and ceilings of temples, and in vases and sacrificial vessels. The Romans worked the Algerian and Egyptian quarries and used the stone for similar purposes. In modern times it was used by Muhammad Ali for his mosque in Cairo. The French make extensive use of alabaster in interior decoration. |
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"alabaster." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "alabaster." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-alabaste.html "alabaster." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-alabaste.html |
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alabaster
al·a·bas·ter / ˈaləˌbastər/ • n. a fine-grained, translucent form of gypsum, typically white, often carved into ornaments. • adj. made of alabaster. ∎ poetic/lit. like alabaster in whiteness and smoothness. |
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"alabaster." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "alabaster." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-alabaster.html "alabaster." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-alabaster.html |
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alabaster
alabaster Fine-grained, massive variety of gypsum (calcium sulphate), snow-white and translucent in its natural form. It can be dyed or made opaque by heating and is used for making statues and other ornaments.
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"alabaster." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "alabaster." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-alabaster.html "alabaster." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-alabaster.html |
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alabaster
alabaster XIV. — OF. alabastre (mod. albâtre)- L. alabaster, -trum container for perfume — Gr. alábast(r)os.
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T. F. HOAD. "alabaster." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "alabaster." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-alabaster.html T. F. HOAD. "alabaster." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-alabaster.html |
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alabaster
alabaster Material used for containers of perfume. The long neck of the flask was broken to release the liquid (Mark 14: 3).
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W. R. F. BROWNING. "alabaster." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. W. R. F. BROWNING. "alabaster." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-alabaster.html W. R. F. BROWNING. "alabaster." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-alabaster.html |
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alabaster
alabaster See GYPSUM.
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AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "alabaster." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "alabaster." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-alabaster.html AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "alabaster." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-alabaster.html |
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alabaster
alabaster
•barter, Bata, cantata, carter, cassata, charter, chipolata, ciabatta, darter, desiderata, errata, garter, imprimatur, Inkatha, Jakarta, Magna Carta, Maratha, martyr, Odonata, passata, persona non grata, rata, Renata, Río de la Plata, serenata, sonata, Sparta, starter, strata, taramasalata, tartar, Tatar, Zapata
•after, drafter, grafter, hereafter, laughter, rafter, thereafter, whereafter
•chanter, enchanter, granter, planter, supplanter, transplanter, Vedanta
•blaster, caster, castor, faster, grandmaster, headmaster, master, pastor, plaster
•alabaster • telecaster • forecaster
•broadcaster • sportscaster
•newscaster • sandblaster
•bandmaster • taskmaster
•pastmaster • paymaster • ringmaster
•quizmaster • spymaster
•housemaster • Scoutmaster
•toastmaster • schoolmaster
•harbourmaster (US harbormaster)
•quartermaster • substrata
•sought-after
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"alabaster." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "alabaster." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-alabaster.html "alabaster." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-alabaster.html |
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