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Corsi Collection of Decorative Stones Online
Corsi Collection of Decorative Stones
‘Decorative stone’ is a term for any mineral or rock which looks
beautiful when cut and polished. Examples include marbles, serpentines,
jaspers and granites as well as minerals such as fluorite, amethyst, and
jade. Beautiful durable natural stone has been used to embellish
buildings, furniture and artefacts since ancient times. It is still in
huge demand for ornamenting homes and public buildings today.
The early 19th century collection made by Roman lawyer
Faustino Corsi comprises 1,000 polished slabs, each of a different
decorative stone. He first obtained those used by the ancient Romans,
and then added Italian stones used from medieval times to his own day.
He also included a selection of decorative rocks and minerals from
England, Russia, and other countries.
In 1827, Oxford student Stephen Jarrett purchased the collection and
presented it to the University of Oxford. It is now in the Oxford
University Museum of Natural History. This website is the culmination of
a research project by Monica T. Price and Lisa Cooke, and is generously
funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.
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