<I>Aquarium or terrarium, Roman columns</I>

Durants (Firm) · ca. 1876

Rectangular terrarium or aquarium made or cast iron with plate-glass windows. The four corner posts are in the form of Doric colums and the base is fluted. A nineteenth=century engraving of this aquarium design appeared in the "Memorial of the International Exhibition," published by the Centennial Exposition Comission in Philadelphia, PA in 1876. Originally a simple glass container, these cases evolved to suit the Victorian taste for decoration. They were made in all shapes, sizes, and styles, such as Gothic Revival, Neo-Grec, Rococo Revival, and Rustic. Cases were often finished with gilding or enamel, as suited to the design and budget of home, and could be made to look like miniature buildings such as churches and famous houses. Often placed on their own decorative stand, these cases became status symbols of the fashionable drawing room.