Römische Bossenkapitelle aus Travertin und lunensischem Marmor

When marble became the predominant building material in Augustan Rome, Corinthian capitals made of travertine were no longer decorated, but were rather used in their roughed out state. They became part of the usual appearance of travertine architecture. Blocked out capitals made of marble, on the other hand, are rarely seen before Flavian times, and are of rather heterogeneous appearance. From Flavian times onward, they come to form a larger and more uniform sample than before, being found in three types. This article argues that capitals were provided by the quarries at Luna in their blocked out state and finished at their respective sites of use. It is difficult to explain why they occasionally did not receive a final treatment due to our lack of precisely known architectural contexts. One can only surmise that the intentional use of blocked out capitals was dictated by the building type and the intended atmospheric value. They seem to blend in with the colourful marble veneering of the walls and are appreciated more for their sheer material value than for their ornamentation.