Dhow Sail, a graceful 16-foot sculpture in luminous Carrara marble1 by Beth Cullen Kerridge, sits gallantly in front of the Dubai Opera. Its undulating form, an elegant echo of the building's own hull-like silhouette, captures the flowing lines and lofty sweep of a traditional Emirati dhow sail. Unveiled on November 2, 2016, this masterpiece both mirrors the Opera's architectural ethos and pays tribute to the UAE's seafaring heritage. The Dhow Sail is not just an aesthetic marvel but also a functional piece, offering a seating area for visitors to rest and escape the sharp Dubai sun.
Carrara marble
Carrara marble is a white to blue-grey marble popular for use in sculpture and building decor. It is quarried in the city of Carrara located in the province of Massa and Carrara in the Lunigiana, the northernmost tip of modern-day Tuscany, Italy.2
The prize yield from Carrara quarries through millennia has been Statuario, a pure white marble (coloring in other marbles arises from intermixture with other minerals present in the limestone as it is converted to marble by heat or pressure). However, by the end of the 20th century, the known deposits of Statuario near Carrara are played out 3. The quarries continue to remove and ship up to a million tons/year of less-esteemed marble, mostly for export.
Marble is the result from the metamorphism of organic sedimentary carbonate rocks, most commonly limestone or dolomite, composed primarily of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in the form of the mineral calcite. It commonly forms in clear, warm, shallow marine waters from the aggregation of shell, coral, algal and faecal debris. When subjected to extreme temperatures and pressures, without melting into magma, the calcite forming the original unmetamorphosed carbonate rock (protolith), recrystallises. The resulting marble is typically composed of an interlocking mosaic of equigranular carbonate crystals with primary sedimentary textures and structures of the protolith modified or destroyed.4
The limestone or dolomite protolith (and therefore marble) can contain a variety of impurities. These might include particles of other rocks, sand, mud, or other chemical compounds. These impurities can significantly change the appearance and colour of the marble. Veined, streaked and multi-coloured marble are the result. For instance, limonite and iron oxide in marble will create a yellow to brown hue. Iron and feldspar will create a pink to red hue. Serpentine, silica or magnesium impurities can result in a green hue. The presence of titanium and iron impurities in just the right amount and right crystal structure can cause a blue colour. Porphyry deposits will create a violet hue. If the marble was created of a very pure (silicate-poor) protolith and contained few impurities, it would be white.4
Being composed of calcite, marble has a hardness of three on the Mohs scale of hardness for rocks and minerals. As a result, marble is a comparatively soft stone that is easy to carve. It also has the ability to be polished to a high lustre after being sanded with progressively finer abrasives.4
How to claim this EarthCache?
Email me the following;
1. The text "GCB5320 Dhow Sail" on the first line.
2. The answers to the following questions;
- What is Statuario marble? Does this sculpture classify as such?
- Describe the geological process by which marble forms from its sedimentary protolith.
- Which impurity caused the hue (veining) in this sculpture?
3. Provide a photo of yourself or a personal item to prove you have visited the site.*
References
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1 Beth Cullen Kerridge, correspondence via e-mail (03/2025). Official https://bethcullensculpture.co.uk/Dhow-Sail-2"> website. 2 Wikipedia, Carrara marble (Retrieved 04/2019-02/2024). 3 The Symphony Style File, Downtown Dubai's new sculpture 'Together' celebrates Arab dignity (15/02/2011). 4 Natural Stone Online, The history of Carrara marble. 5 Geocaching, Barnyard Dawg, Queen Victoria Fountain of Kuala Lumpur (GC7YAA0) and Melaka (GC7YAA1), (2018).