FICORONI, FRANCESCO de'. - Born in 1664 at Lugnano near Valmontone in Latium, died in Rome on 1 February 1747, he was a scholar of antiquity and one of the best-known collectors of his time. He collected essentially coins, engraved mirrors, lead seals, bullae, etc. Famous is a large ornate cista found at Palestrina which he, despite the generous offers received from the Englishman Frederic, donated to the Kircherian Museum. Today this cista, which is customarily designated by the name of its former collector, is in the National Museum of Villa Giulia in Rome.

He was the author of various publications, such as Dei tali ed altri istruenti lavori degli antichi (Rome 1734), I piombi antichi (ibid. 1740), to illustrate objects he had collected; of a topographical nature is the volume on Le vestigia e rarità di Roma ricercate e spiegate (ibid. 1744).

Also worthy of note is the work Gemmae antiquae litteratae aliaeque variores, published posthumously in 1757 under the editorship of Fr. Nicola Galeotti, in which some Christian objects are also described.

Bibliography

BIBL.: G. Q. Ciglioli, s. v. in Ent. Ital., XV (1932), p. 225.

Giuseppe Bovini

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Ficoroni, Francesco de'

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