Dentice del Pesce memorial stone

Cathedral of Naples

The tomb slab of the Dentice family.

Inside the Cathedral, before the Sacristy, lies the tomb slab of the Dentice del Pesce family, made in the eighteenth century by Neapolitan craftsmen.

A direct examination identified elements of white Carrara marble, bardiglio, and red and yellow Verona marble.

The memorial stone is realised according to the technique of execution and decoration of marble inlay. The small polychrome stone slabs were shaped in various forms to create the overall geometric design. Each element, or crusta, is bedded, following the traditional technique, onto the mother slab with a paste composed of colophony and a carbonate aggregate.

The floor memorial stone is composed of two parts, an upper one bearing the family coat of arms, and a lower one with an epigraph that reads:

GENTILE. VETUSTISSIMUM. DENTICIS. FAMIL. PISCIS INSIGNE. DISTINCTAE

IN CAPUANA. FRATRIA. AE. XNAE. SAEC. XIII. ILLUSTRIS

SACELLUM. UBI. ALOISIUS. PRIMUM. DEIN

FRANCISCUS. VULGARI. COGNOMENTO. NACCARELLA

CAROLO. III. ET LADISLAO. REGIBUS. UNICE. ACCEPTUS

VIRI. PACE. BELLOQ. PRAECLARISSIMI

AE. XNAE. SAEC. XIV. VITA. FUNCTI

EORUMQ POSTERI. QUIERUNT. ATQ. A. AE. XNAE. MDLXXX

ANNIBAL. DE. CAPUA. ARCHIEP NEAPOLETANUS (sic)

DUM. SIBI TRADITAM. ECCLESIAM

RITE PERLUSTRARET. HEBDOMADALE

SACRIFICIUM. EMORTUALE. SEXTA. ET. SEPTIMA. DIE

INDESINENTER. ITERANDUM. UT. PERFICERETUR. INDULSIT

HIC. AD. MAIOREM. TEMPLI ORNATUM

IOSEPHI SPINELLI. S. R. E. PRAESBITERI CARDINALIS

ECCLESIAM. NEAPOLITANAM. APOSTOLICUM. IN. MOREM

ADMINISTRANTIS. E LAEVA UNDE. GOTICO. OPERE

FUERAT. IAM. CONSTRUCTUM. IUSSU. TRANSLATUM

PLACIDUS. FRANCISCI F. PLACIDI N. DENTICE

PRINCEPS. ET. DYNASTA. UT. SUI. SUORUMQ. CINERES

IN. EODEM. CONDERENTUR. INSTAURAVIT

EXORNAVITQUE.

The memorial stone once stood before the chapel of the Dentice family, dedicated to the Annunziata, which was suppressed during the restoration of the Cathedral promoted by Cardinal Filippo Giudice Caracciolo, Archbishop of Naples between 1833-44.

The work, returned to its original decorative richness, was restored thanks to the direct contribution of the family.