The abbate Francesco (de') Ficoroni (1664 — 1747)^[1] was a connoisseur and antiquarian in Rome closely involved with the antiquities trade, who was the author of numerous publications on ancient Roman sculpture and antiquities, guides to the monuments of Rome and the city's ancient topography, and on Italian theatre and theatrical masks, among other subjects. An antiquarian or antiquary is one concerned with Antiquities or things of the past Roman sculpture refers to the Sculpture of Ancient Rome. Roman sculpture often involved copying of Ancient Greek sculpture. Topography ( topo-, "place" and graphia, "writing" is the study of Earth 's Surface features or those of Planets For his antiquarian works he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of London. The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as The Royal Society, is a Learned society for science that was founded in 1660 ^[2] A major segment of his potential audience, both for his publications and for the objects from his perpetually-changing collection, was composed of British milordi on their Grand Tours. The Grand Tour was the traditional travel of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means His complementary volumes on ancient and modern Rome (1744) remained in print long after his death: Thomas Jefferson purchased both volumes while he was abroad in 1785-89. Thomas Jefferson (April 13 1743 – July 4 1826 was the third President of the United States (1801–1809 the principal author of the Declaration of Independence ^[3]

From 1705 to 1710 he undertook a series of excavations along the Via Appia in the vigna Moroni, the Moroni vineyard, which revealed ninety-two funerary chambers decorated with frescoes and mosaics, which provided material for his Bolla d'oro (1736); the excavation was supported by Cardinal Filippo Antonio Gualterio, who purchased many of the antiquities discovered. The Appian Way ( Latin and Italian: Via Appia) was the most important ancient Roman road. Fresco (plural either frescos or frescoes) is any of several related Painting types done on Plaster on walls or Art History Mosaics of the 4th century BC are found in the Macedonian palace-city of Aegae, and they enriched the floors of Hellenistic Filippo Antonio Gualterio may refer to Filippo Antonio Gualterio (cardinal (1660&ndash1728 papal nuncio to France see Papal conclave 1721 Later Ficoroni bought back some of Gualterio's objects, while over two hundred of the examples of glass, terracotta oil lamps and some carved hardstones were purchased by Sir Hans Sloane and eventually found their way, with the rest of his collection, to establish the British Museum. Sir Hans Sloane 1st Baronet, PRS ( 16 April, 1660 &ndash 11 January, 1753) was an Ulster-Scot Physician and The British Museum is a Museum of human history and culture in London. ^[4] Reasons of cost aborted the engraving of the watercolor drawings of the frescoes (now long disappeared) made for Ficoloni by Gaetano Piccini; the watercolors were purchased by Cardinal Gualterio but dispersed after his death in 1728. ^[5]

Ficoroni's excavations at Hadrian's Villa were never fully published. The Hadrian's Villa ( Villa Adriana in Italian) is a large Roman Archaeological complex at Tivoli, Italy. Carlo Fea summarised some outstanding finds in 1790. Carlo Fea ( Pigna &mdash now in Liguria, 2 February, 1753 - Rome 18 March, 1836) was an Italian Archaeologist ^[6]

Repoussé and engraved relief of Hercules and Iolaus on the Ficoroni cista

The most famous object that was in his collection or passed through his hands was the fourth-century BCE cylindrical bronze ritual vessel known still as the "Ficoroni cista", which was found in an Etruscan woman's tomb just south of Palestrina (the ancient sanctuary site of Praeneste) in 1738 and which Ficoroni gallantly presented to the museum assembled by Athanasius Kircher in the Collegio Romano. Palestrina (ancient Praeneste) is an ancient city and Comune (municipality with a population of about 18000 in Lazio, c Palestrina (ancient Praeneste) is an ancient city and Comune (municipality with a population of about 18000 in Lazio, c Athanasius Kircher (sometimes erroneously spelled Kirchner) was a 17th century German Jesuit Scholar who published around 40 works most Pontifical Gregorian University (Pontificia Università Gregoriana (also known as the Gregorianum) is a Pontifical university located in Rome, Italy ^[7] It has for finials on its lid, the figure of Dionysus flanked by aroused satyrs, and love scenes of Heracles and Iolaos. In Greek mythology, satyrs (Σάτυροι Satyroi) are a troop of male companions of Pan and Dionysus – " Satyresses quot

The catalogue of his own collection of ancient Roman mercantile sealings stamped in lead was written by conte C. Gaetani and doubtless published at Ficoroni's expense. ^[8]

Ficoroni was born near Lugnano, in the comune of Valmontone, Lazio. Valmontone is a Comune (municipality in the Province of Rome in the Italian region Lazio, located about 45 km southeast of For the football club see SS Lazio Lazio ( Latium in Latin) is a regione of central He died in Rome.

Selected publications

• Osservazioni. . . sopra l'antichità di Roma. . . dal. . . Padre B. de Montfaucon (Rome, 1700, 1709). Bernard de Montfaucon ( January 13, 1655, Aube, France - December 21, 1741) was a French Benedictine monk ^[9]
• Lettera scritta al ill. Sig. G. , Lord Johnstone. . . sovra un nuova cameo esprimente Marcello nipote di Augusto (Naples, 1718, 1726).
• Le memorie più singolari di Roma e sue vicinanze, notate in una lettera. . . all'Illustrissimo Cav. Bernard Inglese aggiuntavi nel fine la spiegazione d'una medaglia d'Omero (Rome, 1730).
• La Bolla d'oro de fanciulli nobili Romani, e qualla de' libertini (Rome, 1732); one of the objects described is the gilded glass medallion, long considered to be a forgery, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is an art museum located on the eastern edge of Central Park, along what is known as Museum Mile in New York City, ^[10]
• I Tali, ed altri istromenti lusorj degli Antichi Romani (Rome, 1734)
• Le Maschere sceniche e le figure comiche d'antichi Romani descritte brevemente(Rome: Antonio de' Rossi, 1736, 1748) Dedicated to nob. sig. Paolo Ippolito De Beawille. A Latin translation, De larvis scenicis, ppeared in 1750 and 1754. .
• Breve descrizione di tre particolari statue trovatesi in Roma l'anno 1738 (Rome, no date [1738]).
• Le Vestigia e rarità di Roman antica ricercate, e spiegate (Rome:G. Mainardi, 1744)
• Le Singolarità di Roma moderna (Rome, 1744), a companion volume to I Tali.
• Le memorie ritrovate nel territorio della prima, e seconda città di Labico e i loro giuste siti. (Rome:G. Mainardi, 1745)
• Gemmae litteratae antiquae, aliequae rariores (Rome, 1757). The engraving were by P. Nicola Galeotti.

Notes