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.

____________________

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright© 2004, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V. All rights reserved.

-1002-

Top...
Search the Library
Books
Journals
Magazines
Newspapers
Encyclopedia
Advanced Search
About Questia
Questia is the world's largest online academic library offering full-text books, journals, and articles on thousands of topics.

Join Now...
Questia Books and Articles on: Alabaster
We found: 3212 results
By media type:
 

Books:

 

2602  

 

Journal articles:

 

153  

 

Magazine articles:

 

140  

 

Newspaper articles:

 

292  

 

Encyclopedia articles:

 

25  
 

books on: Alabaster  - 2602 results

       More book Results: 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 >>  
 
1.
Sarah the Priestess: The First Matriarch of Genesis
Book by Savina J. Teubal; Ohio University Press, 1984
Subjects: Bible--O.T--Genesis--Criticism, Interpretation, Etc, Sarah--(Biblical Matriarch), Women And Religion--Middle East
SARAH THE PRIESTESS Alabaster head, from Ur. This sculpture of an unknown woman evokes the image...seventeenth century B.C.E. 92 15. Alabaster trough, with symbols of Goddess Inanna Uruk 101...
2.
Sonnets
Book by G. M. Story, Helen Gardner; Oxford University Press, 1959
Subjects: Poetry
...GOOLDEN, 1958 THE SONNETS OF William Alabaster EDITED BY G. M. STORY AND HELEN...containing forty-three sonnets by William Alabaster, the Elizabethan divine and neo-Latin...1903, Soon afterwards he identified as Alabasters sixty-four sonnets in a manuscript at...
3.
Babes in the Darkling Wood: A Novel
Book by H. G. Wells; Alliance Book Corporation, 1940
Subjects: Fiction
...2. Block of Alabaster. 3. Balchification...on shining upon them. 2. Block of Alabaster One side of the deep lane changed...lovely lump." "Marble it is," he said. "Alabaster, I tell you. I know ." "Marble. You...
4.
Sculpture in Britain: The Middle Ages
Book by Lawrence Stone; Penguin Books, 1955
Subjects: Sculpture, Medieval, Sculpture--Great Britain
...119 Head of alabaster effigy of Edward II. Glouces ter Cathedral...A. and B Alabaster weepers from tomb of John of Eltham...124 A. Alabaster effigy of John of Eltham. West minster...
5.
China Court: the Hours of a Country House: A Novel
Book by Rumer Godden; Viking Press, 1961
Subjects: Country Homes--England--History--Fiction, Country Life--England--History--Fiction, Family--England--History--Fiction
...the office again. It was here that Mr. Alabaster had been installed the week before Mrs...telegrams." "Perhaps I should go," Mr. Alabaster said. "Yet, under the circumstances...for the kind of firm that makes Mr. Alabaster -- of Truscott, Alabaster and Grice...
More book Results: 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 >>

Top...
 

journal articles on: Alabaster  - 153 results

       More journal Results: 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 >>  
 
1.
Dickinson's Safe in Their Alabaster Chambers
Journal article by Bernhard Frank; The Explicator, Vol. 55, 1997
Subjects: American Literature--History And Criticism, English Literature--History And Criticism
Dickinsons SAFE IN THEIR ALABASTER CHAMBERS Safe in their Alabaster Chambers Untouched by Morning And untouched by...Emily Dickinsons 1861 version of "Safe in Their Alabaster Chambers" (poem 216) is simple enough: The good Christians...
2.
Luxurious Forms: Redefining a Mediterranean "international Style," 1400-1200 B.c.e
Journal article by Marian H. Feldman; The Art Bulletin, Vol. 84, 2002
Subjects: Art history, Ugarit
...portable luxury objects made of ivory, gold, alabaster, and faience defy attribution to any...precious materials such as ivory, gold, alabaster, and faience. The excavators of the site...Ugarit, nine made of ivory, gold, and alabaster stand apart as the highest level of luxury...
3.
Death and the Cardinal: The Two Bodies of Guillaume d'Estouteville [*]
Journal article by Meredith J. Gill; Renaissance Quarterly, Vol. 54, 2001
Subjects: Burial--Rites and ceremonies, Cardinals--Conduct of life, Rites and ceremonies--Planning, d'Estouteville, Guillaume--Conduct of life
...least one king was already buried, and an alabaster image of the Virgin was placed on one...Virgin on the high altar, and of the alabaster image beneath the Crucifix. 65 His Marian...la nef des son eglise de Rouen"). 78 Alabaster from Grenoble was purchased, together...
4.
Amanita Muscaria: The Gorgeous Mushroom
Journal article by Christal Whelan; Asian Folklore Studies, Vol. 53, 1994
Subjects: Amanita--Japan, Japan--Social aspects, Mushrooms--Menus and recipes
...arranged concentrically - attached to an alabaster-colored stalk. Just below the gilled underside...until the water became clear. They came out alabaster white and indeed are translucent like alabaster. Prepared thus for savouring during the...
5.
A Scattering of Salts: Merrill's Temporal Innocence
Journal article by Reena Sastri; Twentieth Century Literature, Vol. 50, 2004
Subjects: A Scattering of Salts (Poetry collection)--Criticism and interpretation, Merrill, James--Criticism and interpretation, Poetry--Criticism and interpretation
...A Look Askance," "Volcanic Holiday," "Alabaster," and "The Pyroxenes" all model an ongoing...with death as it is with childhood. In "Alabaster," a Dickinsonian slant of sunlight catches...starless night." In Dickinson, we recall, "Alabaster Chambers" are tombs...
More journal Results: 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 >>

Top...
 

magazine articles on: Alabaster  - 140 results

       More magazine Results: 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 >>  
 
1.
CITY DESK - Death
Magazine article by Richard Brookhiser; National Review, Vol. 53, December 31, 2001
Subjects: Disasters--New York, New York, New York--History
CITY DESK - Death. by Richard Brookhiser America the Beautiful" says, "Thine alabaster cities gleam / Undimmed by human tears." But that is a hope, not a description. New York has been dimmed by everything from accident...
2.
Treasure Chest: Continuing the Tradition of Monumental Bank Buildings, the Huge New Savings Institution on the Edge of Granada Relates to the Traditions of the City and Almost Exudes the Notion of Security
Magazine article by Raymund Ryan; The Architectural Review, Vol. 212, August 2002
Subjects: Architectural firms--Services, Banking industry--Buildings, facilities, etc.
...northerly elevations of the interior court in alabaster. You might associate alabaster--that lightly-veined, translucent marble--with...Foundation for instance, Rafael Moneo has used alabaster to rosy effect in limited spatial incidents...
3.
The Soul of Music
Magazine article by Hilary Finch; New Statesman, Vol. 130, May 7, 2001
Subjects: Historic buildings--Appreciation, London, England--Buildings, facilities, etc., Music-halls--History
...has remained stubbornly true to itself The foyer is built of alabaster, with red Verona marble walls. Sicilian marble shapes the stairway, with its balusters of limpid alabaster and its red Verona marble handrail. Mahogany from the forests...
4.
The Character of George Washington
Magazine article by Richard Brookhiser; USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Vol. 136, July 2007
Subjects: Ex-presidents--Appreciation, Washington, George (American president)--Appreciation
...Washington. by Richard Brookhiser THERE IS A LINE in the song "America the Beautiful" of some significance: "Thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears." It means that the cities of the U.S., unlike those of Europe, have not been torn and...
5.
Teaching Kids Good Eating Habits
Magazine article; USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Vol. 122, April 1994
Subjects: Children--Food and nutrition, Food habits--Health aspects, Low fat diet--Methods, Low-fat diet--Methods
...an essential tool for living a healthy life," notes Oliver Alabaster, director of the Institute for Disease Prevention at George...healthy food choices, they are doing just that," maintains Alabaster, adding that youngsters who are given too much fat begin developing...
More magazine Results: 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 >>

Top...
 

newspaper articles on: Alabaster  - 292 results

       More newspaper Results: 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 >>  
 
1.
From Bungalow to an Art Deco Flat for Sir Cliff; LOW NOTE: Sir Cliff Bought a Bungalow on the Wentworth Estate Two Years Ago LUXURY LINES: Sir Cliff, below, Bought a [Pounds Sterling]2.5million Flat in the Spectacular Charters Development, above, with Opulent Reception and Dining Areas, Left, and Original Pink Alabaster Bathroom, Right
Newspaper article; The Mail on Sunday (London, England), March 16, 2008
Subjects: Richard, Cliff
...Opulent Reception and Dining Areas, Left, and Original Pink Alabaster Bathroom, Right. Byline: Richard Holledge For Sir Cliff...apartments in the main housewith an elegant curve leading to a pink alabaster bathroom with silver fishheadtaps. Another flight of stairs...
2.
LEGAL MATTERS : Michelle Wins Her Nine-Year Fight over Pay Row
Newspaper article; The Birmingham Post (England), May 4, 2005
...her nine-year legal battle. Michelle Alabaster started her case against the Woolwich...underpaying her during maternity leave. Mrs Alabaster said a recent pay rise had not been taken...and the Court of Appeal in London. Mrs Alabasters case then went to the European Court...
3.
Sorry, Chaps - Working Mothers Are Here to Stay
Newspaper article; The Evening Standard (London, England), May 5, 2005
...by the Appeal Court, awarding Michelle Alabaster pounds sterling204.53 in backdated maternity...year." Said the nameless wonk: "What the Alabaster case does is draw a curtain of uncertainty...other European countries for decades. Ms Alabaster initially brought her case against her...
4.
Mother's Pay Win Could Open Floodgates
Newspaper article; The Daily Mail (London, England), May 4, 2005
Subjects: Banking industry, Woolwich Building Society
...nine-year battle by mother-of-two Michelle Alabaster to recover just pounds sterling204.53...had children in the last 29 years. Mrs Alabaster was working as a secretary with the Woolwich...acting within the law at the time, but Mrs Alabaster, 36, was convinced the law was unfair...
5.
An Immovable Feast; Tuscany's Many Riches Nourish Both Mind and Body
Newspaper article; The Washington Times, May 24, 2003
...without salt; of cypresses; Chianti; alabaster; pottery; cathedrals of black, green...specialty, begun in Etruscan times, is alabaster, which is no longer mined but quarried...volume in the Knopf City Map Series. An alabaster carver greets visitors at his shop in...
More newspaper Results: 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 >>

Top...
 

encyclopedia articles on: Alabaster  - 25 results

       More encyclopedia Results: 1-10 11-20 21-25 >>  
 
1.
Alabaster
Encyclopedia article; The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2009
ALABASTER fine-grained, massive, translucent variety of gypsum...sulfate. It is pure white or streaked with reddish brown. Alabaster, like all other forms of gypsum, forms by the evaporation...broken, soiled, and weathered. Because of its softness, alabaster is often carved for statuary and other decorative purposes...
2.
Alabaster, William
Encyclopedia article; The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2009
ALABASTER, WILLIAM al bas t r, al bas t r, 1567 1640, English theologian and poet. Although he wrote two epic poems in Latin, he is remembered for his theological studies, including Spiraculum Tubarum (1633). Alabaster converted to Roman Catholicism in Spain in 1597 and was imprisoned on his return to England in 1598. He reconverted to...
3.
Spikenard
Encyclopedia article; The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2009
...SPIKENARD spik nard, name for several plants. The biblical spikenard, or nard, was a costly aromatic ointment, preserved in alabaster boxes, whose chief ingredient is believed to have been derived from Nardostachys grandiflora (or N. jatamansi ), a plant...
4.
Retable
Encyclopedia article; The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2009
...tab l, frame for decorative panels at the back of an altar in European churches. Retables, often sumptuously decorated in alabaster and gold, generally contained scenes from the Bible. An altarpiece made of fixed panels may also be termed a retable...
5.
Chagai
Encyclopedia article; The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2009
...on the trade route to Afghanistan and Iran. Pastoral Baluchi and Brahui inhabit the region, which is noted for its Oriental alabaster and other ornamental stones. British forces occupied Chagai in 1897. ____________________ Copyright 2009 Columbia University...
More encyclopedia Results: 1-10 11-20 21-25 >>

Top...
 About Questia   ::   Privacy   ::   Contact