CONCORDIA TEMPLE CORK

Italian Cork Model of the Temple of Concordia at Agrigento

This model is of the ancient Tempio della Concordia in Agrigento, Sicily, one of the best preserved Greek temples in Italy in the Doric order.
Models of classical monuments in Italy were purchased by wealthy British collectors on their Grand Tour. Initially commissioned by tourists with specific antiquarian and architectural interests, the models were an expression of the learned travelers' knowledge and their "neoclassical sensibilities." The models soon appeared at the Society of Antiquaries of London and the British Museum, in the private exhibitions of Charles Townley and John Stuart, Earl of Bute, and in the royal collection of George III. In the early 1800s, architect John Soane began purchasing models from the antiquarian market for his house museum,now one of the largest collections in the world.