A heavy long-handled hammer used to drive wedges and perform forceful splitting and rough stonework.
Mazza is a large hammer with a long handle. Le voci del marmo describes a typical head of about two kilograms and a handle roughly one to one-and-a-half meters long, used for striking wedges and related heavy tasks.
Etymology
From Italian mazza, “club, sledge, or heavy striking tool.”
Sculptor Notes
The mazza belongs to the logic of splitting rather than fine carving. Its long handle develops momentum, but control of the blow remains critical because the force is transmitted into an entire fracture system.
References
https://levocidelmarmo.sns.it/scheda_oggetti_relazione.php?denom=mazza&id=15