Temple of Artemis the Huntress

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

The temple stood in Athens on the banks of the Ilissus, probably built by Callicrates, and no longer exists — known today only through eighteenth-century drawings and the models made from them. Sir John Soane himself, writing in his own Royal Academy lectures, called it a building where "nothing can surpass the extreme simplicity and elegance of this composition."

Read the full Temple of Artemis the Huntress architecture guide

A lost Athenian temple, reproduced from Sir John Soane's own collection

Fouquet's original model reconstructed this small Ionic temple exactly as recorded in James Stuart and Nicholas Revett's landmark 1762 survey, The Antiquities of Athens — the beautifully proportioned columns, angular capitals, and simple entablature that Soane himself so admired. Our reproduction follows Fouquet's full restoration of the temple.

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

• the beautifully proportioned Ionic columns
• the distinctive angular capitals Soane singled out for praise
• the restrained simplicity of the entablature above

By reproducing Fouquet's full reconstruction, the object allows the proportion and refinement of this lost temple to be appreciated exactly as Soane's own students would have seen it.

Why the Temple of Artemis the Huntress works as an architectural model

The temple translates especially well into object form because it was already conceived, by Fouquet, as a compact teaching model of a design admired above all for its restraint and proportion rather than scale or ornament. Its status as a lost building, known only through drawings, gives it a particular poignancy as a physical object. The object feels both architectural and sculptural, and carries the weight of Soane's own personal admiration for the design.

Craft, materials, and finish

Each Temple of Artemis 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 Ionic detailing 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 Greek architecture or architectural history. It is produced in plaster and displayed under an acrylic case.

A piece of collecting history

The Temple of Artemis the Huntress 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, and one he personally praised in his own lectures for its simplicity and elegance. As an object, this piece offers a way to own a faithful reproduction of a building that otherwise survives only on paper, made under licence with the Museum that has preserved Fouquet's model for nearly two centuries.

Product details

• Subject: Temple of Artemis the Huntress, banks of the Ilissus, Athens (no longer standing)
• Architect (probable): Callicrates
• Model-maker: François Fouquet, 1834 (Sir John Soane's Museum, MR28)
• This reproduction: Made under licence with Sir John Soane's Museum
• Designed and made by: Chisel & Mouse

Learn more about the Temple of Artemis the Huntress

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

Temple of Artemis the Huntress: François Fouquet's Reconstruction of a Lost Athenian Temple