VIDEO: World’s Largest Marble Portrait (Jan. 30)

This 27.2′ X 17.3′ portrait of Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the ruler of Oman, is recognized by Guinness World Records® as the world’s largest marble mosaic.

The project, presented to the sultan in November 2010 on the 40th anniversary of his accession to power, includes stones sourced from the mountains and sea beds of Oman.

Kanika Dewan, president of Hampstead, U.K.-based Ka Design Atelier, recently told the Press Trust of India (PTI) that she personally chose blocks in the mountains to be mined exclusively for the portrait.

“The mosaic had to match the colours in the photograph so I chose red rocks for the turban and gold beige for the dress. A desert rose was chosen for the dress, part of skin reflections and skin tones. For white colour, we sourced pebbles from the sea,” says Dewan, whose firm produced the portrait with Bahrain-based Bramco Group.

The blocks were brought to Bahrain, sliced and polished. The end portrait, with 128,274 individual pieces using 90 different shades of marble, was completed in four months with the collaboration of 15 artists.

“The Sultan has not yet decided where he will hang the portrait but I think he will display it in a public area,” says Dewan.

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