Corsi Collection of Decorative Stones

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view of stone 194

Corsi 194, approx. 145 x 73 x 40 mm, © Oxford University Museum of Natural History

OUMNH Number: 194  
Name and quarry location: Marmo della Gaetta, from Gaetta, Lake Como, Como, Lombardy, Italy  
Geological description: Heavily recrystallised and fractured ?calcarenite, with disseminated pyrite on fractures.  
Comments: Amoretti (1824) refers to a mine at Gaetta on the western coast of Lario (Lake Como) - most probably in the area of the Villa la Gaeta near S. Siro. Melchiorre (1804) refers to iron being mined at Gaeta, as do other authors of the time. A modern source records Gaeta mine as working a lead-zinc deposit in dolomite (Ralph, n.d.). No mention is made of decorative stone, and because this sample is not dolomitic, Corsi's locality is thought to be very doubtful. Note that Corsi's three specimens supposedly from Gaetta (nos. 194, 250 and 450) are all very different and it is doubtful whether any of them are correctly provenanced.  
References: Amoretti (1824) 352 footnote; Ralph (n.d.)  
Further information:
 


Corsi's classification: Class 1. Marbles; Section 2. Veined marbles; Species 12. Veined marbles of Italy  
Corsi's text: 70.16 Marmo della Gaetta nel Milanese  

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