Sworders
Los 249
A plaster of Paris model of Ilisos Temple, c.1820s, French, attributed to Jean-Pierre and François Fouquet, raised on a mahogany stand with Perspex cover,model 12.5cm wide 23.5cm deep 12.3cm highProvenance: The Collection of Ben Weinreb (1912-1999), thence by descent to the present owner.To find out more about the provenance of this lot, please click here.The small Ionic temple on which the present lot was modelled was built on the south bank of the Ilisos (or Ilissus) River in Athens and is also referred to as the Temple of Artemis Agrotera, or Artemis the Huntress. Not much of the temple survives today, due to it being demolished in 1778, but it appears to date to the 5th century BC and is possibly the work of the Greek architect, Kallicrates, who worked on the Parthenon.Another, slightly larger, version of this model can be found in the collection of Sir John Soane's Museum (MR2*). It is understood that Soane visited Paestum as a student in 1779, and the Doric order in particular had a profound effect on his architecture, as can be seen in the Doric Vestibule of the Bank of England (1803-08). According to the records held by the Museum, Sir John Soane purchased twenty models by Francois Fouquet in 1834 from the architect Edward Cresy (1792-1858) who, from 1829-1835, worked in Paris. Soane paid Cresy the substantial sum of £100. It is likely that Cresy purchased the models directly from Fouquet et Fils.According to the Sir John Soane’s Museum, François based his model on plates I-VIII, chapter II of James Stuart and Nicholas Revett’s 'The Antiquities of Athens', first published in 1762, with a French translation published in 1793.Condition ReportSome small chips, knocks, cracks and losses throughout. One rear corner is broken and loose, but present. Evidence of some small repairs. General light dirt and dust. Some splits, knocks and small losses to wooden base. Remnants of hand-written paper label beneath. Aside from the small broken corner, the piece is overall structurally stable. General wear to Perspex case, which is a little loose at the joints. Please see additional photos.
