Artwork by Kay McCormack
History of Soapstone Carving (eHow-trusted advice for the curious life)
Asian Origins
- The oldest identifiable soapstone sculptures date back more than 3,000 years. The oldest identified soapstone crafts where made by artisans in China. Experts believe that artwork made of soapstone has survived throughout the centuries because humidity does not cause the stones to break down. The Ming Dynasty, which lasted from 1368 to 1644, saw the height of soapstone production in China. Soapstone became the standard as jade prices rose, making it too expensive for many artists.
- From its beginnings in China, the art of working with soapstone spread throughout the world. The Cretan people of ancient Greece used soapstone to make stamps and receptacles. The Vikings employed soapstone carving skills in much of their jewelry. In Africa, sculptors in Zimbabwe produced many soapstone sculptures. The height of Zimbabwe's soapstone production was between the 11th and 16th centuries. Soapstone carvings were also a popular art form in Iran. By the 17th century, the mainland Europeans had begun to create soapstone works of art. Artisans began using it in crafts and it reached its height of popularity during the Art Deco period between the 1920s and 1940s.
- Around the same time soapstone sculpting reached its popularity in Europe, Inuit tribes began trading soapstone art pieces with the white settlers of Canada and the United States. Previously, many of these native artisans had worked with whale bones or walrus ivory to produce their cultural crafts. As the popularity of soapstone carving among Inuit tribes grew throughout the 1940s and 1950s, the Hudson Bay Company introduced sandpaper to local artisans. According to the Najuqsivik Society website, the company was interested in commercially developing artists and selling their work.
- Art was not the only historical purpose for mining soapstone. In Ancient China, artisans used the stone to create dishes,utensils and vases. In Europe, people still make traditional Scandinavian cooking pots using soapstone. Colonial settlers of New England used soapstone on their fireplace hearths, to make sinks and to make counter tops.
- Modern artists, including members of Inuit tribes, still use soapstone to produce beautiful sculptures. In addition to art, soapstone serves as an alternative to marble or granite. It can be part of kitchen and bathroom design on sinks, counters and ovens. It also serves as a liner for fireplaces and masonry heaters
What is Soapstone? (wikipedia)
Soapstone (also known as steatite, or soaprock) is a talc-schist., which is a type of metamorphic rock. It is largely composed of the mineral talc and is thus rich in magnesium. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism andmetasomatism, which occurs in the areas where tectonic plates aresubducted, changing rocks by heat and pressure, with influx of fluids, but without melting. It has been a medium for carving for thousands of years.
Physical characteristics-Soapstone is relatively soft because of its high talc content, talc having a definitional value of 1 on the Mohs hardness scale. Softer grades may feel soapy when touched, hence the name. There is no fixed hardness for soapstone because the amount of talc it contains varies widely, from as little as 30% for architectural grades such as those used on countertops, to as much as 80% for carving grades. Common, non-architectural grades of soapstone can just barely be scratched with a fingernail and are thus considered to have a hardness of 2.5 on the Mohs scale.[1] If a candidate rock cannot be scratched with a knife blade (hardness of 5.5), it is not soapstone.
Soapstone (also known as steatite, or soaprock) is a talc-schist., which is a type of metamorphic rock. It is largely composed of the mineral talc and is thus rich in magnesium. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism andmetasomatism, which occurs in the areas where tectonic plates aresubducted, changing rocks by heat and pressure, with influx of fluids, but without melting. It has been a medium for carving for thousands of years.
Physical characteristics-Soapstone is relatively soft because of its high talc content, talc having a definitional value of 1 on the Mohs hardness scale. Softer grades may feel soapy when touched, hence the name. There is no fixed hardness for soapstone because the amount of talc it contains varies widely, from as little as 30% for architectural grades such as those used on countertops, to as much as 80% for carving grades. Common, non-architectural grades of soapstone can just barely be scratched with a fingernail and are thus considered to have a hardness of 2.5 on the Mohs scale.[1] If a candidate rock cannot be scratched with a knife blade (hardness of 5.5), it is not soapstone.
