20th C. Italian Grand Tour Marble Lamp

A classical urn form cut from marble the color of aged parchment, gold and ochre veined through with soft charcoal gray. Two angular strap handles rise straight from the shoulder to meet a fluted, scalloped neck, and just below it a carved band of waves curls around the body like a frieze lifted from an ancient vessel. A ring of beading marks the transition to a gadrooned socle, which narrows to a turned column foot and a simple square plinth base.

The form draws directly from Grand Tour tradition, the 18th and 19th century practice of European travelers returning from Italy with classically inspired objects, urns, columns, and vessels that translated ancient Rome into the drawing room. 

Style: Grand Tour, Neoclassical
Materials & Techniques: Carved marble, brass hardware
Place of Origin: Italy
Period: 20th century