Corsi 374, approx. 145 x 73 x 40 mm, © Oxford University Museum of Natural History
| OUMNH Number: | 374 |
|---|---|
| Name and quarry location: | Alabastro di Sabina, Alabastro ghiaccione, from Sabina, or from Capo Circeo, Latina, Lazio, Italy |
| Geological description: | Very pure banded calcite travertine composed of very coarse granular colourless crystals and fine grained white calcite, banding evident in a few places. It is almost certainly a speleothem. |
| Comments: | Alabastro di Sabina is included in the list of ornamental stones of the Umbria and Marches regions by Zuccagni-Orlandini (1843) but he does not describe the stone. It has been suggested that this specimen is, like no. 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 no. 367 for more details. |
| References: | Ameti (1693); Rees (1819); Zuccagni-Orlandini (1843) 565 |
| Further information: |
Alabaster-travertine.pdf |
| Corsi's classification: | Class 1. Marbles; Section 4. Concretionary marbles; Species 1. Alabasters; ii. Italian alabasters |
|---|---|
| Corsi's text: | 103.41 Alabastro di Sabina |