PAIR OF GRAND TOUR SOUVENIR NEAPOLITAN BRONZE MODELS OF ROMAN KANTHAROI

PAIR OF GRAND TOUR SOUVENIR NEAPOLITAN BRONZE MODELS OF ROMAN KANTHAROI, late 19th century, after the Roman silver 'Centaur cups' excavated at Pompeii, each with twin looped handles rising from the rim and descending past ovoid bodies cast in high relief with centaurs and amorini, the slender stems each on a shallow domed foot; later mounted atop square section polished black stone bases; the bronzes 16.5cm high, the height overall 21cm Note: In the Spring of 1835 after decades of upheaval, the Neapolitan government ordered the resumption of excavations in Pompeii, specifically in a street which would later be named the Strada della Fortuna, and at a house that would be called the Casa dei Vasi d'Argento (House of Silver Vases). A breathtaking hoard of fourteen vases comprising two silver Kantharoi embossed with centaurs and cherubs, upon which the current bronzes are based, was unearthed. The treasure was transferred to the Museo Archeologico Nazionale of Naples, where they still reside