Marble Bathtub - Grand Tour Souvenir

Red marble bathtub, Grand Tour souvenir

Reproduction of an antique bathtub, sculpted in red marble (probably Italian griotte), mounted on a contemporary black base. The oblong shape, softened contours, and proportions evoke the models of Roman bathtubs found in the imperial baths or aristocratic villas of Antiquity. Two lion mascarons adorn the ends, holding in their mouths a ring carved in bas-relief, reminiscent of the decorative handles of ancient basins. The feet are sculpted in the form of lion paws, directly inspired by classical prototypes.

This is a Grand Tour souvenir, intended to adorn a scholarly library or a cabinet of curiosities. These objects, made in small format, testified to the admiration of European elites for Greco-Roman Antiquity, rediscovered in the 18th and 19th centuries through study trips to Italy.