Busacca Gallery

An alabaster head of a beautifully stone bust. This is a thinker or portrait statue of a Historical figure. This masterful portrait bust represents a vigorous middle-aged man who stares into the distance with a critical, penetrating gaze. The broad, square face is carefully modeled; wide furrows cut into the low forehead and at the corners of the eyes add to the intensity of the expression. The work is a splendid example of psychological portraiture and exudes a sense of abrupt strength that finds close parallels within practicing philosophy.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alabaster

Alabaster (sometimes called satin spar) is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals: gypsum (a hydrous sulfate of calcium) and calcite (a carbonate of calcium). The former is the alabaster of the present day; the latter is generally the alabaster of the ancients.

The two kinds are readily distinguished from each other by their relative hardnesses. The gypsum kind is so soft as to be readily scratched by a finger-nail while the calcite kind is too hard to be scratched in this way, though it does yield readily to a knife. Alabaster, In the 15th century it's carving into icons and altarpieces was a valuable local industry throe out Europe. The finer kinds of alabaster are largely employed as an ornamental stone, especially for ecclesiastical decoration and for the rails of staircases and halls. Its softness enables it to be readily carved into elaborate forms, but its solubility in water renders it inapplicable to outdoor work. The purest alabaster is a snow-white material of fine tiniforni grain.