Neoclassical tempietto in fine colored marbles, second half of the 19th century.
Italian manufacture, second half of the 19th century.
Statuario white marble, French red marble, and antique yellow marble.
Measurements: h. 42 x d. 40 cm.
The elegant tempietto rests on a stepped pedestal in statuario white marble; the lower part, decorated with bands of French red marble, forms the base of the temple upon which the columns rest and features a geometric decoration in French red marble and antique yellow marble that creates a striking visual contrast with the statuario white marble; the eight columns echo the alternation of the two colored marbles, with the shaft in red marble and the capital and base in yellow marble; the dome in white marble, enhanced by a band below and a finial in red marble, concludes the piece.
The tempietto is part of the numerous objects that recall the travel souvenirs created during the eighteenth-century Grand Tour, a tour that led young European aristocrats to embark on a journey of discovery to places fundamental to art, architecture, and literature.
Among these objects, there are numerous architectural models in marble that reproduced ancient buildings or their ruins; in this case, the chosen model is a circular temple with eight columns, in the neoclassical style.
Grand Tour objects created a vast trade among collectors and continued to be produced throughout the 19th century.
