Book Illustration, L’antiquité expliquée et représentée en figures, vol. II, pt 1: Le culte des Grecs et des Romains, 1719

Pergolesi based many of his ornament designs on illustrations found in this 15-volume encyclopedia of the ancient world, compiled and published in the early 18th century. The antiquities the book represents are generally authentic; their use, however, is not always correctly identified. In this case, the encyclopedia illustrates three views of a tripod identified as a three-sided Roman altar dedicated to the god Mars. The actual marble object, probably made in the 1st century CE, is in fact the base of a candelabrum, not an altar. Several ancient versions of this tripod survive, including examples in the British Museum in London, England, and the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Mr. Pergolesi's Curious Things.