Small-scale reproduction of an ancient labrum

Black marble and giallo antico.
Rome.
Early 19th century.
10 x 20 x 8 cm (4 x 7,9 3,15 in).

This is a miniature reproduction of an antique labrum, a marble basin resembling modern bathtubs, but in which it is probable that the Romans did not bathe. The trapezophoroi are finely sculpted in the giallo antico, bearing the trace of truly artisanal work, in the tradition of the famous Roman workshops of Boschetti and Valadier.

The antique model for this labrum is uncertain, and it is highly possible that it is a free interpretation by the sculptor. Its form is close to a basin now preserved at the British Museum, undoubtedly acquired by Thomas Jenkins in the late 1770s in the vicinity of Rome.