Pair Of Ormolu And Marble Vases, Rome, XVIII Century

This pair of crater-shaped vases, in white marble on a quadrangular marble pedestal, alternately in black, red antique and white marble, are decorated with gilt bronze handles. They are a typical example of Grand Tour souvenirs, made in different types of marble and sizes, by the various Roman workshops, which reused the ancient marbles of which the city abounded, much appreciated by travelers in Italy between the 18th and 19th centuries.
Similar models were widespread, and sometimes made with additions in gilded bronze to embellish them for high-level clients, such as the works of the Boschetti workshop and the even more beautiful works by Giuseppe Valadier, some of which are known with a similar shape, embellished with gilt bronze decorations.
Bibliography : A. .Gonzalez-Palacios, Luigi Valadier, New York 2018, p. 198, fig. 4.72 for an example of similar shape