Decorative Stone

This is a comprehensive identification guide that fills the gap between scholarly works on ancient marbles and the catalogues of the modern stone trade.

High-quality images of stones, indispensable to reliable identification, are coupled with meticulously researched, authoritative text. Invaluable for everyone with an interest in the identification and use of decorative stone, including archaeologists, architects, artists, antique restorers, colleges and museums, the stone trade, and the enthusiastic amateur.

• A  fully illustrated visual identification guide to 300 of the most commonly encountered types of polished decorative stone, ancient and modern
• Perfect colour photographs of cut, polished stones are fully supported by information on their geology, historical associations, quarry sources and past and present uses
• Organized by geological type, enabling you to understand how the stones are related, as well as how they differ in structure and colouring
• Comprehensive coverage of exterior and interior building purposes, and also the types more commonly used in decorative artifacts
• A valuable guide for archaeologists, architects, artists, antiques restorers, the stone trade, academic departments and museums
• Draws on the extensive collections of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, which include the historic Corsi Collection of 1,000 different blocks of polished decorative stone used by the ancient Romans or quarried in Italy in the early nineteenth century, and other collections of historical and modern decorative stones from sites worldwide.