Corsi Collection of Decorative Stones

view of stone 369

Corsi 369, approx. 145 x 73 x 40 mm, © Oxford University Museum of Natural History

OUMNH Number: 369  
Name and quarry location: Alabastro di Collepardo, alabastro ghiaccione, from Collepardo, near Frosinone; or from Capo Circeo, Latina, Lazio, Italy  
Geological description: Very pure compact banded travertine composed of parallel prismatic colourless calcite crystals. A speleothem deposit.  
Comments: Collepardo, in Lazio, is a source of speleothemic calcite as described by Jervis (1874), but it has been suggested that this stone is, like Corsi 304, alabastro ghiaccione from Capo Circeo. The name 'ghiaccione' means ice, very appropriate for this particularly transparent variety of travertine. The Capo Circeo quarries were active in the 16th century and especially in the 18th and early 19th centuries - the time when Corsi was building his collection. See Corsi 367 for more details.  
References: Ameti (1693); Jervis (1874) 529-530; Rees (1819)  
Further information: Alabaster-travertine.pdf
 


Corsi's classification: Class 1. Marbles; Section 4. Concretionary marbles; Species 1. Alabasters; ii. Italian alabasters  
Corsi's text: 102.36 Alabastro di Collepardo  

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