AN ITALIAN MODEL OF A ROMAN BATH IN ROSSO ANTICO MARBLE MID 19TH CENTURY 16cm high, 35cm wide Provenance: The Simon Neal Collection Beautiful models of ancient Roman baths and sarcophagi, carved in various coloured marbles were collected avidly by the aristocratic Grand Tourists during the late 18th and 19th centuries, to decorate their country houses and metropolitan residences upon their return. Rosso antico was very popular because it was one of the coloured stones most admired by the ancient Romans, due the association of its dark red tone with the 'imperial purple' worn by the emperors, in a similar manner to red Egyptian porphyry.