Although this color may be somewhat atypical for a natural stone, marble violet is a material that has been used for centuries and in particular since the Renaissance (just think of Calacatta viola or Breccia Medicea). The beauty of marble violet is undoubtedly constituted by the heterogeneity of its textures. Virtually all types of violet marble, in fact, almost never have a homogeneous and uniform background, but made up of unique and complex patterns and designs. The varieties of marble violet are mostly brecciated or rich in veins, clouds, pigmentations and other characteristics that make their texture appear more like a tapestry than a stone surface.
If we wanted to find a minimum common denominator able to unite the different varieties of marble violet, it could be the heterogeneity of its violet marble surface. Marble violet, in fact, in the vast majority of cases, does not appear as a natural stone with a homogeneous and monochromatic background. On the contrary, marble violet is characterized by an extremely heterogeneous and polychrome surface, rich in veins, spots, clasts and intrusions.
Among the most renowned violet marbles in the world, we find the Breccia Medicea, a white marble with very dense purple veins which create a unique dynamism; or the Brèche de Vendôme marble, a dark violet marble whose overall color is created by a multitude of different shades such as dark green, burgundy, yellow and black.
Among the purple marbles with a greater history in the architectural field we certainly find the varieties extracted in the Tuscan area: in particular we refer to Calacatta Vagli rosato marble, Calacatta Viola marble and Breccia Medicea marble. These varieties of marble violet have been extracted for centuries and used since Roman times to then be widely re-used also in the Renaissance period and in the following centuries.
Just think of the frequent use that the de ‘Medici family made of marble violet and in particular Cosimo I de’ Medici (hence the name “Breccia Medicea”). In light of the above, it is easy to understand why violet marble can be found in many prestigious and valuable projects within Tuscan architectural works and historic buildings such as the Florence Cathedral or Santa Maria Novella.
Marble violet is a natural stone that stands out due to its unique chromatic characteristics. For this reason, violet marble is mostly used in projects where there is a need to enhance and attract attention to a specific object, detail or area. For the same reason, violeta marble is almost never chosen for large projects but for details such as columns, frames, kitchen countertops, shower trays, tables and other types of decorative elements. All varieties of marble violet go particularly well with polishing (even mirror polishing): with this finish, in fact, the heterogeneity of their texture is clearly highlighted as well as the arabesques and patterns that can be admired on their surface. An installation technique that is often found combined with marble violet is finally the “open spot” installation.
Luxurious furniture in lightweight marble
Dedalo is a company from Carrara that designs and produce monolithic luxurious furnishings in lightened marble, with a contemporary design. Our goal is to reaffirm the use of marble in everyday life without renouncing, for reasons of weight, to its three-dimensional vocation, proposing sculptural and extremely engaging shapes.
