clerk floor

Thanks to the discoveries at Herculaneum and Pompeii, a new chapter in the history of the use of colored marble began in the 18th century: objects were made, especially table tops, which at first constituted real souvenirs or became a source of curiosity for fans of classicism who came to Rome to admire the vestiges. Sometimes, one would purchase an antique marble tabletop in order to have a document to keep continually before one's eyes, a kind of handbook of practical reference; sometimes one would use it merely for decorative purposes. The Roman marble commesso top is certainly a work of [...]