Corsi 133, approx. 145 x 73 x 40 mm, © Oxford University Museum of Natural History
| OUMNH Number: | 133 |
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| Name and quarry location: | Portoro, from Portovenere, Liguria, Italy |
| Geological description: | Black fine-grained weakly metamorphosed limestone with thin white calcite-filled veins, and with stylolites, sinuous wider veins and pods of calcite coloured yellow by included goethite. |
| Comments: | This is the stone best known as 'portoro'. The main source is the area around Portovenere (including Spezia and Lerici), and it has been quarried since the late 16th century, sometimes sporadically, right up to the present day (Price, 2007). It has been exported worldwide. Note that the name 'portoro' was also used for generally inferior black and yellow ‘marbles’ from localities in northern Italy, according to Jervis (1889), but such stones were not transported widely. |
| References: | Dubarry de Lassale (2000) 252-253; Jervis (1889) 258-259; Mielsch (1985) 62; Miller (1994); Pieri (c.1958) tav.XXIX; Price (2007) 86; Rogers (2008) 51; Seeman (1999) 58; Watson (1916) 170-171 |
| Further information: |
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| Corsi's classification: | Class 1. Marbles; Section 2. Veined marbles; Species 7. Yellow and black marbles |
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| Corsi's text: | 57.3 Giallo e nero di Porto Venere |