Michael Lake
Head of Department
Lot 18*
A pair of 19th century Italian 'Grand Tour' carved Siena marble models of the Temple of Vespasianus and the Temple of Castor and Pollux
17 November 2021, 14:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street£4,000 - £6,000
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A pair of 19th century Italian 'Grand Tour' carved Siena marble models of the Temple of Vespasianus and the Temple of Castor and Pollux
the two Roman Forum temple fragments with typical architectural detailing, raised on shallow black marble plinth bases, 36cm high overall (2)
Footnotes
Produced as perhaps the first mass produced tourist souvenirs of Rome, the earliest models of the Temples of Vespasian and Temples of Castor and Pollux situated in the Forum date to the early decades of the 19th century, when, during the French occupation and later, archaeological excavations of the temples revealed much of their current form. The novelty of owning finely carved miniature representations of temple fragments from the celebrated sights of the poet Tibullus's 'Eternal City' and its great lost civilisation led to the production of a large number of these models in various sizes which were subsequently shipped all over Europe and America as the century progressed.
