FICORONI, FRANCESCO de'. — Born in 1864 at Lugano near Valmontone in Lazio, died in Rome on 7 Feb. 1847, he was a scholar of antiquity and one of the most renowned collectors of his time. He chiefly gathered coins, engraved mirrors, leaden objects, bullae, etc. Famous is a large cista adorned with engravings, found at Palestrina and which, despite generous offers from the Englishman Frederic, he donated to the Kircherian Museum. Today this cista, commonly referred to by the name of its ancient collector, is in the National Museum of Villa Giulia in Rome.
He authored several publications, such as *Dei talii ed altri istituti lusori degli antichi* (Rome 1734), *I piombi antichi* (in 1740), to illustrate objects he had collected; of a topographical nature is the volume on *Le vestigia e rarità di Roma ricercate e spiegate* (in 1744).
Also noteworthy is the posthumous work *Gemma antignae litteratae aliaeque rariores*, published in 1757 under the care of Fr. Nicola Galeotti, which also describes some Christian objects.