Italy provided Weckström inspiration for his large bronze sculptures  and skilled bronze craftsmen, but also  inspiring materials. Italian marble proved to be a rewarding experience for the sculptor accustomed to the relentlessness of Finnish granite. Marble obediently yielded to Wecksröm's chisel, transforming from blocks into gleaming, plastic forms.  Marble sculptures often depict human subjects and human emotions. The idea could sometimes be found really close: for example, the artist immortalized his painful toothache in marble.