Dario del Bufalo (

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, 30 January 1958) is an Italian

mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

and antiquity expert, architect, author, and restorer.

Education

Del Bufalo graduated with ''Laude'' in 1987 with a PhD in Architecture from

Sapienza University The Sapienza University of Rome ( it, Sapienza – Università di Roma), also called simply Sapienza or the University of Rome, and formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", is a public research university located in Rome, Ita ...

Career

From 1998 to 2007 he taught a course on the "History of architectural techniques and ancient materials" at the

University of Lecce The University of Salento ( it, Università del Salento, called until 2007 ''Università degli Studi di Lecce'') is a university located in Lecce, Italy. It was founded in 1955 by Giuseppe Codacci Pisanelli. The university of Salento commenced act ...

. He was President of the in Rome on the occasion of the sixth centenary of its foundation (2006). Del Bufalo is author of many books and titles about

Roman art The art of Ancient Rome, and the territories of its Republic and later Empire, includes architecture, painting, sculpture and mosaic work. Luxury objects in metal-work, gem engraving, ivory carvings, and glass are sometimes considered to be mi ...

and

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

, old coloured marbles and sculpture. He is the author or co-author of numerous other volumes, including the museum catalogue for the 2021-2022 exhibition ''Il falso nell'arte. Alceo Dossena e la scultura italiana del Rinascimento'' (The false in art.

Alceo Dossena Alceo Dossena (1878–1937) was an Italian sculptor. His dealers marketed his creations as originals by other sculptors. Biography Dossena was born in 1878 in Cremona, Italy. He was a talented stonemason and sculptor, and was so skilled at dupli ...

and

Italian Renaissance sculpture Italian Renaissance sculpture was an important part of the art of the Italian Renaissance, in the early stages arguably representing the leading edge. The example of Ancient Roman sculpture hung very heavily over it, both in terms of style and t ...

) at the

Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto (MART) (''Museo d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto'', in Italian) is a museum centre in the Italian province of Trento. The main site is in Rovereto, and contains m ...

. He has written on the subject for ''

The Art Newspaper ''The Art Newspaper'' is a monthly print publication, with daily updates online, founded in 1990 and based in London and New York City. It covers news of the visual arts as they are affected by international politics and economics, developments ...

''. Del Bufalo is also noted for having restored the in

. He personally owns around 65% of the property itself, keeping around 35% of the park, including a personal pool and a Gym, and a 40% of the interiors owning 3 huge areas summing up at 12.k Square meters.

Caligula mosaic

Del Bufalo gained widespread coverage when he rediscovered an antiquity featured in his book, a marble

that had been part of the flooring on one of the Roman Emperor

Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanicu ...

's pleasure boats, the

Nemi ships The Nemi ships were two ships, one larger than the other, built under the reign of the Roman emperor Caligula in the 1st century CE on Lake Nemi. Although the purpose of the ships is only speculated upon, the larger ship was an elaborate floa ...

which were more like floating buildings than boats and never meant to sail. Following Caligula's assassination in

AD 41 AD 41 ( XLI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of C. Caesar Augustus Germanicus and Cn. Sentius Saturninus (or, less freque ...

the boats were sunk on the orders of the

Roman Senate The Roman Senate ( la, Senātus Rōmānus) was a governing and advisory assembly in ancient Rome. It was one of the most enduring institutions in Roman history, being established in the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in ...

and the

Praetorian guard The Praetorian Guard (Latin: ''cohortēs praetōriae'') was a unit of the Imperial Roman army that served as personal bodyguards and intelligence agents for the Roman emperors. During the Roman Republic, the Praetorian Guard were an escort fo ...

Lake Nemi Lake Nemi ( it, Lago di Nemi, la, Nemorensis Lacus, also called Diana's Mirror, la, Speculum Dianae) is a small circular volcanic lake in the Lazio region of Italy south of Rome, taking its name from Nemi, the largest town in the area, that ...

(30 km (19 mi) south of

) was drained by

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...

in the 1920s and the ships became visible again. A museum was founded and built above the vessels. The museum and the ships were destroyed by fire during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. This particular piece which survived went missing in the 1960s. It fell into private hands and was eventually sold by an aristocratic Italian family to New York City antiques dealer Helen Fioratti and her husband Nereo. The piece, which served as the top of a coffee table in the Fioratti's apartment was seized by the

New York County District Attorney The New York County District Attorney, also known as the Manhattan District Attorney, is the elected district attorney for New York County (Manhattan), New York (state), New York. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New ...

's Office and then repatriated to Italy.

Bibliography

* ''Precious Portraits'', Allemandi Editore, Torino 2020. * ''Porphyry. Red Imperial Porphyry Power and Religion,'' 2a edizione, Allemandi Editore, Torino 2018''.'' * ''Murrina Vasa. A luxury of Imperial Rome,'' L’Erma di Bretschneider, Roma 2016. * ''Porphyry. Red Imperial Porphyry Power and Religion,'' Allemandi Editore, Torino 2012. * ''Marmorari Magistri Romani'', L’Erma di Bretschneider, Roma 2010. * ''L'Università dei Marmorari di Roma'', L’Erma di Bretschneider, Roma 2007. * ''Marbres de couleur. Pierres et architecture de l’Antiquité au XVIII siècle, Actes Sud, Paris 2004.'' * ''Marmi Colorati: Le Pietre e L'Architettura dall'Antico al Barocco,'' Motta Editore, Milano 2003. * ''Marmi antichi e Pietre dure, Congedo'' Editore, Galatina in 2000.

Family life

His daughter is the actress and singer

Diana Del Bufalo Diana Del Bufalo (born 8 February 1990) is an Italian actress, singer, and television host. Biography Diana Del Bufalo was born in Rome on the 8th of February 1990, her father is Dario Del Bufalo; an architect and archeologist and her mother is ...

(b. 1990). Seemingly his wealth ups to be around 100€ millions and he does taxes up to 4€ millions per year in Italy personally.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Del Bufalo, Dario 1958 births 20th-century Italian architects Living people Italian writers 21st-century Italian architects