Monument Palmyra

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

This model represents one section of the larger monument known as the Tetrapylon, located in the ancient city of Palmyra, Syria — one of four identical column-groups that together marked a bend in the city's Grand Colonnade. Islamic State militants almost entirely destroyed the Tetrapylon in January 2017, along with many other historic monuments in the area, making this reproduction of Fouquet's nearly two-hundred-year-old model something closer to an act of preservation than decoration.

Read the full Monument Palmyra architecture guide

A section of the Tetrapylon, reproduced from Sir John Soane's own collection

Fouquet's original model reconstructed one of the Tetrapylon's four column-groups as it would have appeared new — four tall granite columns rising from a stepped plinth, carrying a single solid cornice, with a pedestal at the centre that once held a statue. Our reproduction follows Fouquet's full restoration of this one section, one of the largest and most imposing pieces in his entire twenty-model set for Soane.

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

• the four tall columns rising from a stepped, plinth-like base
• the single, solid cornice the column-group carries
• the fine detailing of the columns, rendered with contemporary 3D-printed precision

By reproducing Fouquet's full reconstruction of this section, the object allows the proportion and character of the Tetrapylon to be appreciated exactly as Soane's students would have seen it, long before the monument's twentieth-century restoration or its destruction.

Why the Monument at Palmyra works as an architectural model

This section of the Tetrapylon translates especially well into object form because its tall, narrow silhouette gives it real presence and sculptural weight even at tabletop scale, distinct from more horizontal architectural forms. Its subject matter — a monument now almost entirely lost — gives it a significance well beyond decoration. The object feels both architectural and sculptural, and carries the weight of a heritage that conflict has since gone a long way toward erasing.

Craft, materials, and finish

Each Monument Palmyra 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, endangered heritage, or architectural history. It is displayed under an acrylic case, as the original is in Soane's Model Room.

A piece of collecting history — and of preservation

The Monument at Palmyra 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 ancient buildings once looked when new. Since the Tetrapylon's near-total destruction by ISIS in January 2017, Fouquet's model has taken on an additional significance as one of the clearest surviving records of what this landmark looked like complete. 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: One column-group of the Tetrapylon, Palmyra, Syria
• Original monument built: Late 3rd century AD, under Diocletian
• Model-maker: François Fouquet, 1834 (Sir John Soane's Museum, MR34)
• This reproduction: Made under licence with Sir John Soane's Museum
• Designed and made by: Chisel & Mouse

Learn more about the Monument at Palmyra

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

Monument Palmyra: François Fouquet's Reconstruction of the Tetrapylon