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Description A pair of large Italian marmo giallo Grand Tour souvenir models of Temple of Castor and Pollux and the Temple of Vespasian, after the Antique, second quarter 19th century, each mounted to a rosso antico plinth, the larger model 72cm high, 37cm wideMarble renditions of Roman monuments were popular souvenirs for Grand Tourists visiting the Eternal City during the later 18th and 19th centuries, and both temples represented by the present models were much-visited stops at the Forum Romanum. The Temple of Castor and Pollux, or Tempio dei Dioscuri, was erected in 495 century BC to commemorate the victory in the Battle of Lake Regillus - a battle in which the Tarquins, the former Etruscan rulers of Rome, attempted to reclaim their throne shortly after the Roman Republic had been established. The temple was dedicated to Castor and Pollux, the twin sons of Zeus and Leda, as legend had it they fought on the side of the Romans during this battle. The iconic columns however are from a much later date, as the temple was rebuilt after a fire and dedicated by Emperor Tiberius in 6 AD. The Temple of Vespasian was built by the late Emperor's son Titus several decades later, in 79 AD.Both temples sustained significant damage including during the middle ages, and their ruinous nature likely appealed to the romantic imagination of foreign tourists. As Goethe notes in his Roman letters: 'He [who wishes to study art] must patch it up and put it together for himself out of endless, but still gorgeously rich, ruins.' (J. W. von Goethe, Rome, 22 January 1787)The present pairs are rare in their substantial size and attention to architectural detail, which indicates quality craftsmanship. Two sets of similar scale recently appeared on the market, including the pair sold at Christie's London, 12 April 2018, lot 260, and the models offered at Christie's New York, 23 October 2018, lot 333