STUCCO. Stuccoes from the Roman necropolises of Pozzuoli (1st-3rd century CE, Campania, Italy)

2026-07-22

The STUCCO project deals with the exceptional stucco decorations (lime and marble powder) from the Roman necropolises of Puteoli (1st-3rd century CE)- an important city of ancient Italy - which were removed in the 17th-18th century and bought by collectors: 70 stucco bas reliefs are nowadays preserved in the collections of the greatest European museums. STUCCO aims to 1) study the craftsmanship of the Pozzuoli (current name) workshops, 2) acquire data on the iconography in order to add a chapter of art history for the centuries following the destruction of Pompeii in 79 CE, a period for which the remains of decorative arts are scarce and rarely studied and 3) recontextualize the stuccoes by spotting the tombs still rising from which they were taken. For the first time since they were removed from their original contexts, the stuccoes will once again form a coherent ensemble, thus becoming one of the most important collections of Roman stuccoes in the world. The project will be monitored by interdisciplinary teams based at the Université Paris-Nanterre (host institution, France) and the University Libre of Bruxelles (secondment, Belgium), and by professional curators working in archaeological museum (secondment, Saint-Romain-en-Gal). These research collaborations with top-rank scholars and international museum institutions will further expand my skillset, build my professional network and refine my ability to transmit results to a broad audience. Digital humanities and open access will be a fundamental aspect in the implementation of this research and used to share information and enhance its outcomes. The limited number of stucco fragments guarantees the feasibility of the project. By enhancing and recontextualizing the overlooked archaeological heritage of Pozzuoli, STUCCO will have both a scientific and societal impact, and pave the way for a renewal of studies on ancient stuccoes, a field for which there is currently no expert holding an academic position.

France

2025-10-01