ASMOSIA is the Association for the
Study of Marble and
Other Stones
In Antiquity.
It was founded in 1988 to promote the exchange of knowledge among its
members in all fields related to the study of marble and other stones of art
historical or archaeological interest. This exchange is accomplished through
periodic Newsletters to members, biannual meetings of the membership, and
publication of the meeting proceedings.
The life-size bust at right of Agrippina the Younger (AD 15-59) is symbolic of ASMOSIA's mission with its inclusion of both white and colored stones from different periods and localities. It includes: (1) marmo pario, the Roman lychnites, for the head (marble from the Island of Paros in the Cyclades of the central Aegean Sea, Greece); (2) alabastro Egiziano or cotognino, the Roman lapis alabastrites or lapis onyx, for the tunic (banded travertine from the middle Nile Valley, Egypt); and (3) verde antico, the Roman marmor thessalicum, for the drapery (brecciated ophicalcite serpentinite from near Larisa in Thessaly, northern Greece). The head was carved about AD 40 but the rest of the bust consists of Baroque additions (sometime between the 16th and 18th centuries), which reused stones from Roman monuments. The bust is now in the Museum of Art at the Rhode Island School of Design (anonymous gift 56.097). |
Information on the ASMOSIA VIII Conference, 12-18 June 2006
Published
Proceedings
Instructions for Authors Contributing to the ASMOSIA VII Proceedings
Links to Related Sites on the Web
ASMOSIA
Officers
ASMOSIA By-Laws
Last modified: October 2005