Sull'uso di marmi colorati antichi in Lombardia (Italia settentrionale)

Coloured marbles used as decorative materials spread in Lombardy (Northern Italy) since the second half of the first century AD. A large amount of materials coming from archaeological excavations in different sites or held by archaeological museums were examined in order to identify the marbles. The reuse was investigated on Medieval and Renaissance buildings in the main cities of Lombardy, but massive destructions occurred in 19th and 20th centuries reduced the record. Most fragments come from slabs used for flooring, used as wall coating or from simple or moulded cornices; different data were retrieved as shape, edge and thickness. The marbles identified are: Africano, Alabaster, Breccia corallina, Breccia di Settebasi, Cipollino, Fior di pesco, Giallo antico, Syenite, Granito violetto, Greco scritto, Pavonazzetto, Porfido rosso antico, Porfido serpentino verde, Portasanta, Rosso antico, Verde antico, namely the most employed in the whole Roman empire. The reuse involved coloured marbles and frequently in different way from the original one. Imitation of coloured marbles was found on Roman mural paintings from Brescia (1st century bC - 2nd century AD) and on Renaissance painting by Masolino and Bernardino Luini.