Minerals and Rocks in the Cabinet of Curiosities

Breadcrust Volcanic Bomb

Likely Vesuvius area, Italy

Many eighteenth-century 'grand tourists' fostered an interest in volcanoes and volcanology and it seems that the Parminter ladies were no exception.

Within the Cabinet of Curiosities there are numerous Volcanic specimens, including basaltic lava, basalts, pumice, tuff, sulphur and the pictured lava bomb.

Specimens like these cannot be found in the UK and, within Europe, their provenence is more than likely to be Italian. This means that the Parminter ladies, who spent a lot of time in Italy throughout their tour, may well have collected them there.

These specimens can only have come from a small number of locations within Italy. Mount Etna and Stromboli are both active volcanoes that would have been knownto the Parminters.

Equally, Vesuvius and the excavations at Pompeii were key attractions for 'grand tourists'. Given their interest in classical history, the volcanic specimens were likely collected from there by the Parminters.

Lava bombs consist of partially molten material which have been ejected from a Volcano and become rounded as they fly through the air. The bread crust reference is due to the grainy appearance on the surface.

The Cabinet of Curiosities specimen, although one of the more unassuming specimens in the collection, does offer some clues as Lava Bombs found in the area around Vesuvius look very similar.

Nephrite

Likely Val Malenco district, Northern Italy

A particularly fine specimen, this nephrite has no 'matrix rock' (the finer-grained mass of material in which larger grains or crystals are embedded), which means it came from a rich seam.

Nephrite is part of a complex group of silicate minerals called 'Amphiboles' including Epidote, Chrysotile, tremolite and others. There are around thirty specimens of Amphibole minerals in the cabinet and some are very attractive. This would suggest a strong interest in collecting these items.

The richest area for Amphibole minerals in Europe is within the Alps region. They are found in such quantities that, over the 18th century, they were mined commercially and much of this activity was in the Northern Alp region of Italy.

The Parminters would have been well aware of these activities. Some of the Amphibole specimens in the cabinet certainly could have been collected in person while travelling in the Alps. However, the specimen of Nephrite, a beautiful quartz with Chrysotile fibres, and a particularly rich Epidote could not have been found by casual collecting and must have been sourced specifically.

Beekite

Livermead Beach, Torbay

One of the oddest mineral specimens in the cabinet actually comes from Torbay, located in the cliffs under the Livermead Hotel. These 'warty' specimens were once corals and their appearance is caused by the replacement of the Carbonate by Silica.

There are numerous locally collected specimens within the Cabinet of Curiosities. There are a large number of Rhomb-shaped Calcites from Broadsands, Puddingstones (conglomerate) from Budleigh beach and pretty calcite crystals from the Peak hill cliffs at Sidmouth.

Most of all the cabinet specimens are a collection of memories. Whether they were picked up from Budleigh beach on a day trip or high up in the alps during part of the Grand tour, each has it’s own story and each has it’s own reason why it was collected. While we cannot be certain when or where these specimens were collected, each one presents an opportunity to further explore A la Ronde's history and many others remain a curiosity.