Few materials evoke high-end living as simply and effectively as marble. It has been used for some of the world’s most notable structures, from the Pantheon in Rome and the Taj Mahal in Agra to more contemporary buildings, such as London’s Marble Arch and the Peace Monument in Washington DC. Favoured by artists since ancient times, it was in full flower during the Renaissance: Michelangelo’s “David” is just one of the marble sculptures that helped shape the western concept of aesthetics. This artistic and historical heritage has lent the material a considerable degree of cultural power, and it has become a global symbol of refined taste and sophistication.
很少材質能像大理石那樣簡單有效地喚起對高端生活品質的憧憬。從羅馬的萬神殿(Pantheon)、印度阿格拉的泰姬陵(Taj Mahal in Agra)到倫敦大理石拱門(Marble Arch)與華盛頓的和平紀念碑(Peace Monument in Washington DC)等現當代建筑，全球很多最知名建筑使用的都是大理石材。自遠古以來，大理石一直頗受藝術家的青睞，到文藝復興時代達到頂峰：米開朗基羅(Michelangelo)的《大衛》(David)只是其中的塑像，但這些文藝復興時代的大理石雕塑，奠定了西方世界的審美觀。這些藝術及歷史遺產賦予了大理石無與倫比的文化力量，也使它已成為全世界高雅藝術品味與溫文爾雅的標志物。