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Skilled sculptors can carve stone so precisely that hard marble appears soft.
Thin folds can imitate the appearance of cloth.
Polished areas can suggest skin, while rougher textures can suggest hair or other materials.
The viewer's brain interprets these differences in texture as evidence of different substances.
The sculptor therefore isn't simply representing a person or object.
They are also creating the illusion of different materials using the same stone.
A single block of marble can visually imitate skin, fabric, hair, metal, and other surfaces.
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art