Fluted column yellow marble
→ Rome, late 18th - early 19th century
Yellow marble with red or pink spots or veins. One of the most used marbles in the whole of the Roman Empire, its quarry is located at Chemtou in Tunisia, ancient Numidia, hence its Latin name marmor numidicum.
It was not at all uncommon for huge quantities of marble to be shipped over very long distances, including overseas, in order to meet the Roman’s insatiable demand. The Roman trade in marbles was highly organized and progressive.
Certain specialty types which tended to be always in demand, such as giallo antico, were shipped to their destinations in bulk, and kept in “marble-yards” until ready for use.
In addition to statuary, giallo antico was used in antiquity for columns, opus sectile and veneer. It was quarried by the Romans from the 2nd century BC until the late Roman period.
