Monument Mylasa

A reproduction of the Monument at Mylasa, made under licence with Sir John Soane's Museum from the original 1834 plaster model by the legendary French model-maker François Fouquet.

This Roman tomb was built in the 1st century AD at Mylasa, in an area now known as Milas, Turkey, and is most likely a simplified echo of the famous Mausoleum of Halicarnassus nearby. The monument's distinctive square corner piers and oval-section columns support its heavy roof — reconstructed here exactly as Fouquet recorded it almost two centuries ago.

Read the full Monument Mylasa architecture guide

A Roman tomb, reproduced from Sir John Soane's own collection

Fouquet's original model reconstructed the Mylasa tomb as it would have appeared new, showing its square corner piers, oval-section columns, and the unusual octagonal, corbelled interior of its roof in full. Our reproduction reproduces the whole monument, following Fouquet's restoration faithfully rather than isolating any single part of it.

This architectural model focuses on the monument's defining characteristics:

• the distinctive square corner piers and oval-section columns
• the heavy, stepped roof they support
• the octagonal, corbelled interior ceiling, a detail unique to this monument in Fouquet's collection

By reproducing Fouquet's full reconstruction, the object allows the proportion and character of this Roman tomb to be appreciated exactly as Soane's students would have seen it.

Why the Monument at Mylasa works as an architectural model

The tomb translates especially well into object form because it was already conceived, by Fouquet, as a teaching model — compact, geometrically clear, and built to be studied up close. Its echo of the much larger Mausoleum of Halicarnassus gives it real historical weight for a piece of modest size. The object feels both architectural and sculptural, carrying two centuries of collecting history within it.

Craft, materials, and finish

Each Monument Mylasa object is crafted with an emphasis on material honesty and precision. The plaster finish echoes Fouquet's own nineteenth-century casting, while 3D-printed columns render the fine detail of the original with contemporary precision. The result is an object that sits comfortably within architectural interiors and design studios, on bookshelves and workspaces, and in collections focused on classical antiquity or architectural history. It is displayed under an acrylic case, as the original is in Soane's Model Room.

A piece of collecting history

The Monument at Mylasa has stood in Sir John Soane's Model Room since 1834, one of twenty plaster reconstructions by François Fouquet that Soane used to teach his Royal Academy students how ruined ancient buildings once looked when new. As an object, this piece offers a way to own a faithful reproduction of that history, made under licence with the Museum that has preserved the original for nearly two centuries.

Product details

• Subject: Monument at Mylasa, Caria (modern Milas, Turkey)
• Original monument built: 1st century AD
• Model-maker: François Fouquet, 1834 (Sir John Soane's Museum, MR15)
• This reproduction: Made under licence with Sir John Soane's Museum
• Designed and made by: Chisel & Mouse

Learn more about the Monument at Mylasa

For a detailed exploration of the monument's history and the story of Fouquet's model, see our in-depth guide:

Monument Mylasa: François Fouquet's Reconstruction of a Roman Tomb in Ancient Caria