A-level: Carving Marble with Traditional Tools


Prior to the use of power tools, the same basic implements were used for stone carving for hundreds of years. Many of the sculptor’s tools had a variety of functions and could be used at different stages of the carving process. In this video, watch a contemporary sculptor demonstrate the use of traditional tools–such as the tooth chisel, the point chisel, the drill, and the rasp–as he creates a finished figure of a woman from a block of marble.

Video from The J. Paul Getty Museum

Cite this page as: The J. Paul Getty Museum, "A-level: Carving Marble with Traditional Tools," in Smarthistory, June 14, 2017, accessed March 19, 2024, https://smarthistory.org/carving-marble-with-traditional-tools-2-2/.