Monolithic pieces · Solid marble, statues and sculptures

From the block to the form.
The machine roughs, the hand finishes.

Marble bathtubs, washbasins, statues and fireplaces carved from a single block. The machine takes off the bulk; everything you see we finish by hand, in our workshop in Verona.

1 blockup to 4 mhand-finished

01

The method

Two hands, one block.

A monolithic piece comes from one whole block: no joints, no glued seams, the veining runs all the way round. A CNC machine roughs out the block, taking off the bulk to a tenth of a millimetre and leaving a few millimetres of stone. From there on our craftsmen take over, with chisels, rasps and abrasives. It is the longest part of the job, and the part you see and touch in the end.

CNC arm roughing a veined marble block for a monolithic bathtub
Roughing · CNC machine

The block loses its bulk following the digital model. The form is there; the surface is not yet.

Craftsman hand-finishing the rim of a monolithic travertine bathtub
Finishing · by hand

Edges, transitions and hollows are closed by hand, one at a time, following the veining.

  1. 01

    The block

    We choose it at the quarry or in our warehouse, for size, soundness and veining.

  2. 02

    The model

    From a drawing, a maquette, a 3D file or the scan of an existing piece.

  3. 03

    The roughing

    The machine removes the bulk of the block and leaves a few millimetres to work.

  4. 04

    The hand finishing

    Chisels, rasps and abrasives, up to the final form. This is where the difference is made.

  5. 05

    The check

    Measurements on the finished piece and the polish checked under raking light.

  6. 06

    Transport and installation

    Slings and anchors studied on the piece. We follow the job through to installation.

02

The dimensions

Up to 3–4 metres high, from a single block.

The limit of a monolithic piece is not the design, it is the block. We reach 3–4 metres in height from a single block, and the work starts before the cut: choosing the block at the quarry, checking that it is sound, calculating the finished weight, working out how to move it in the workshop and on site and how to anchor it. A monumental fireplace, a column or a life-size statue all go through this.

Three craftsmen on scaffolding hand-finishing the figures of a monumental Botticino fireplace over three metres high
Workshop · VeronaThe Botticino Fiorito fireplace during finishing, on the scaffolding.
03

The materials

From Botticino to Taj Mahal, all the way to crystal.

Taj Mahal quartzite kitchen worktop with a sink carved from solid stone
Taj Mahal quartziteThe sink is carved from the same block as the worktop.

There is no stone we do not work from the block: only the tools and the timings change. Botticino and the travertines carve well and hold fine detail. Statuary marbles are the stone of sculpture. Quartzites such as Taj Mahal, and granites, are much harder: you go slowly and need the right abrasive, but the result lasts. Onyx and crystal have to be read vein by vein, because they chip if you force them. That is why we always test the material before committing the block.

04

What we make

Bathtubs, basins, statues, fireplaces: one block for each.

These are the pieces we are asked for most often. If it fits in a block, it can be made.

  1. Carved from solid stone, drain included, like the Diamond Bathtub and the Travertine Bathtub. Shower trays too.

  2. Countertop, freestanding or integrated into the top, from a single block. In the kitchen, sinks carved from the same block as the worktop.

  3. Figures in the round, busts, bas-reliefs, modern sculptures. From a maquette, a 3D scan or an existing statue.

  4. From a simple surround to a monumental fireplace with figures and carvings, like the Botticino Fiorito Fireplace.

  5. Tops and bases from a single block, with the solid thickness on show. Benches and consoles too.

  6. Architectural elements carved from the block, for restorations, facades and interiors.

  7. Carved from solid stone, with the plumbing provided for in the piece. Stones suited to the outdoors.

  8. Scan of the original and reproduction in the chosen stone, to replace or replicate a piece.

  9. Counters, seating, sculptural objects, prototypes. From the 3D file to the finished piece.

05

Real projects

The block, inside real projects.

Case study · Botticino Fiorito Fireplace

A monumental fireplace in Botticino Fiorito, with figures in the round, onyx amphorae and floral carvings. The machine roughed out the volumes. Faces, hands, drapery and every rose on the surround were closed by hand by the sculptors, on the scaffolding, over weeks.

See the project →

Sculptor hand-finishing the face of a Botticino figure and fitting an onyx amphora

The other jobs are in the completed projects.

06

Where to start

A drawing, a photo, a 3D file or a piece to remake.

You do not need construction drawings. An idea and a material are enough, even just one of the two.

From an idea or a drawing

A sketch, a maquette, a technical drawing or a 3D file. We build the model, check it against the available block and agree on form, dimensions and costs before cutting.

From an existing piece

A statue to reproduce, a capital to replace, an antique washbasin to remake in another stone. We scan it and return it in the chosen stone, even at a different scale.

07

Prices

How much does a marble statue, bathtub or washbasin cost?

There is no per-piece price that works for everyone: every block and every form are different. In the quote you find six items: the block, the dimensions, the material, the complexity of the form, the hours of hand finishing, transport and installation. A countertop washbasin in Botticino and a life-size statue in statuary marble sit at opposite ends of the same price list: that is why we quote on the drawing and on the block, never as a lump sum.

Send us a drawing or a photo, the measurements and the material: we reply with an itemised quote within a few days. Request a quote →

08

Frequently asked questions

Carving from the block: the questions we get.

  • An element carved from a single block, with no joints and no glued seams: a bathtub, a washbasin, a statue, a fireplace. The veining runs around the piece and the thicknesses are solid.

  • The machine removes the bulk of the block with precision and leaves a few millimetres. The craftsmen bring the surface to its final form, following the veining. The machine is fast; the hand is what you see.

  • Up to 3–4 metres high from a single block. The real limit is set by the block available, transport and site access.

  • All of them, with different timings: Botticino and travertines, statuary marbles, quartzites such as Taj Mahal, granites, onyx and crystal. We always test the material before committing the block.

  • Yes, carved from solid stone, to your drawing or to a form of ours, with the drain integrated. The Diamond Bathtub and the Travertine Bathtub were born this way.

  • Yes. From the maquette or the 3D scan we build the model, the machine roughs it out and the sculptors finish it by hand. An existing statue is reproduced in the chosen stone, even at a different scale.

  • It depends on the block, the dimensions, the material, the complexity of the form, the hours of hand finishing, transport and installation. With a drawing and a material we reply with an itemised quote.

  • Roughing is a matter of days; the hand finishing of a statue or a carved fireplace, of weeks. Yes: we handle transport and installation, in Verona and abroad.

Have a piece to carve
from solid stone?

A bathtub, a washbasin, a statue, a fireplace: send us a drawing, a photo or a 3D file. Before cutting, you already know what to expect.