MUSEUM OF ANCIENT ROMAN MARBLE

The Ducrot Collection of Coloured Marbles on display at the Iseum is the result of Enrico Ducrot's passion for decorative stones used in antiquity. After studying archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Enrico created an initial catalogue of marble slabs from the excavation of the sacred area of the Magna Mater on the Palatine Hill in the 1980s, an excavation directed by Prof. Patrizio Pensabene.

The collection is mostly composed of samples from the “Ditta Paolo Medici e figlio”, a historic Roman marble company founded in 1838, which, like many other similar companies, unfortunately ceased trading a few years ago.

The collection does not focus on the antiquarian character of the stone, but rather on its material aspect.

Ancient marble was transported to Rome in enormous quantities and continued to be worked throughout the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and later in the 17th and 18th centuries, right up to the present day. However, the origins of its use in large sacred and public buildings can be traced back to Egypt, well before the founding of the Eternal City.

This is why the opening of the Iseum tells the story of the “journey” of Egyptian religion to the heart of the Roman Empire and with it the phenomenon of the importation of coloured stone material from Egypt first and then from other Roman provinces to embellish the most representative palaces and temples of the Roman aristocracy and elite.

Some of the most common types are on display in the Iseum. Around 200 samples of polished stones are exhibited in a dedicated area, and the history, nomenclature, place of origin and use of each specimen is described on the website. Visitors to Rome, entering churches, museums and palaces, but also walking through the squares, will be able to recognise and better distinguish the great variety of these stones.