Lapidarium

For a gem artisan, see lapidary.

The lapidarium section in the Aquincum Museum, Budapest, Hungary

A lapidarium is a place where stone (Latin: lapis) monuments and fragments of archaeological interest are exhibited.

They can include stone epigraphs; statues; architectural elements such as columns, cornices, and acroterions; bas reliefs, tombstones; and sarcophagi.

Such collections are often displayed in the outdoor courtyards of archaeology museums and history museums.

A lapidary museum could either be a lapidarium or – less often – a gem museum (eg the Mineral and Lapidary Museum, North Carolina).

Examples

• The Lapidarium (in the National Museum), Prague, Czechia.
• The Lapidarium, Kerch, Crimea.
• The Lapidarium of Kings, Copenhagen, Denmark
• The Museo lapidario maffeiano (museum-lapidarium of Maffei), Verona, Italy
• The Lapidary Museum, Avignon, France
• The Estense Lapidary Museum, Modena, Italy

See also

• A glyptotheque, a sculpture museum, usually stone sculptures

External links

• Media related to Lapidariums at Wikimedia Commons