In September 2017, Mr Peter Rockwell, noted sculptor and specialist in historic stone carving techniques, made a significant donation of books and photographic documentation to the ICCROM Library and Archive. These materials were gifted on the occasion of Rockwell’s return to the United States after over five decades of residence in Rome. They are intended by Rockwell to support the research of ICCROM’s community of conservation scholars and professionals.
The book donation consists of approximately five linear meters of publications in English, Italian, and German that constitute a useful reference collection on stone working techniques, documentation of stone work, particularly in Europe and South Asia (Pakistan and India), as well as art history reference works. These books will be publicly available for researchers in the Library.
The photographic collection comprises ca. 30,000 colour slides and prints, spanning from 1975 to 2005. Classified by historic period, the collection depicts stone carving techniques, quarries, and restoration workshops, and also documents Rockwell’s own work. This material will be available to researchers by appointment in the Archive.
Of particular interest, the Rockwell Donation includes photographic documentation, records and drawings made of Trajan’s column (Rome). These photographs were taken during the restoration process carried out in 1981-1988, and document all the column reliefs in exceptional detail.
Peter Rockwell is a good friend of ICCROM, and a frequent lecturer on ICCROM courses. For many years he has participated in the ICCROM Stone Conservation Course as a lecturer, since its inception in 1976. He is also the creator of the ICCROM Award statue, presented to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the field of cultural heritage conservation and to the development of ICCROM.
ICCROM is deeply grateful to Peter Rockwell for this donation, and wishes him well into the future.