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Grand Tour Furniture

GRAND TOUR STYLE

For 18th-century young British noblemen, no education was complete without a year on the Grand Tour. Although it had no official route, the Grand Tour focused on places foundational to European art, literature and architecture, including sites in France, Germany, Switzerland and, most importantly, Italy. It was an opportunity not just to witness the roots of the classics they had studied but also to take some of it home. Grand Tour furniture was among the souvenirs.

Grand Tour furniture ranged from marble architectural models replicating ancient wonders to actual antiquities often taken illicitly, leaving a legacy of looting still being unraveled today. Other items reflected the artistic richness of the Renaissance cities and other destinations. In Italy, this included scagliola tables and pedestals mimicking marble as well as tabletops and wall panels embedded with pietra dura hard stone mosaics.

Furniture was also developed to display Grand Tour purchases in the owner’s home, presenting them as a cultivated and well-traveled person. Mahogany collector’s cabinets held objects like intaglio moldings of coins and seals while others had specialized drawers that framed pietra dura panels.

Many objects were specifically produced for Grand Tour collectors. Often accompanied by retinues on journeys lasting months or years, the elite travelers, the wealthiest of whom extended their trips to Egypt and the Holy Land, required artful personal mementos befitting the experience. For example, Grand Tour micromosaicssmall artworks, most not more than two inches wide — arose from the entrepreneurial impulses of artisans who had trained in the Vatican’s workshops.

Grand Tour journeys would help inform a range of decorative styles such as neoclassical, Rococo and Adam style. (Architect and designer Robert Adam toured Italy and France for five years.) The Grand Tour flourished at a time of economic prosperity and political stability, but the French Revolution in 1789 brought it to an end. Yet as the tradition faded in popularity in England, the rising wealth of the United States led to an increase in tourism across the Atlantic and a similar passion for collecting to show one’s worldliness.

Find a collection of Grand Tour decorative objects, wall decorations, lighting and other furniture on 1stDibs.

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Style: Grand Tour
Pair of Regency French Ormolu Gilded Candelabras Featuring Turkish Figures
Located in Dublin 8, IE
Pair of Regency French ormolu gilded candelabras featuring Turkish figures supporting three foliate carved candle branches with urn-shaped bobeches. ...
Category

19th Century European Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Ormolu

Capitoline Venus Grand Tour Mid 19th century bronze
By Praxiteles 1
Located in Mobile, AL
This grand tour bronze sculpture depicts the version of Venus so important to the history of art and literature in the U.S. that the original was temporarily loaned to the National Gallery of Art from the Capital Museums in Rome in 2011. Mark Twain visited Rome and upon his return home in 1867 he published "The Capitoline Venus" and he described the work as the “most illustrious work of ancient art the world can boast of". (with credit to the National Gallery of Art catalog...
Category

Mid-19th Century European Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Antique Grand Tour Ormolu Desk Inkwell Centerpiece Elkington Silversmiths 19thC
Located in Dublin, Ireland
An exceptionally fine quality example of an English Ormolu Grand Tour circular desk single Inkwell of generous size, made by renown Silversmiths Elkington & Co. Mid Nineteenth Century The large circular outline superbly decorated with castings of Neoclassical images depicting Male Nudes within circles flanked by winged Sphinx, the central hinged lid with similar decoration. Condition: Good condition with nice patination, professionally re-gold plated. Lacking ink liner, no losses anywhere. Base marks as shown. Measures: Diameter: (entire as shown) 7.75" (19.5cm). Location: Dublin City, Ireland. Affordable fixed charge Worldwide Store to door shipping. Note: The originators of silver-plating were George Richards Elkington and Henry Elkington who began their research in times of the Industrial Revolution. By the 1830's they had patented their processes and 1840 saw the technique of electro-plating brought to perfection. John Culme, in his Directory of Gold and Silversmiths, said that "Elkington Electroplate was soon accepted with the result that the firm allowed a number of manufacturers to use the technique under licence. Among the earliest granted were those of Christofle & Cie of France". The firm has a worldwide reputation for hand-crafted excellence. Today, the firm is busy making bowls, jugs, trays, candlesticks, ornaments and trophies for international sporting events as well as cutlery pieces. Royal Endorsements & Warrants In 1868, Queen Victoria permitted much of the royal plate...
Category

19th Century English Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Bronze, Ormolu

Pair of 19th Century Italian Grand Tour Tazzas on Sienna Marble Bases
Located in Stockholm, SE
A pair of early 19th century Italian Grand Tour patinated bronze and sienna marble tazzas. A very nice and large pair of an unusual model having no side handles or side fixture decor...
Category

1820s Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Miniature Painting "The Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine" After da Correggio
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
Miniature painting after Antonio da Correggio (1489-1534), "The Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine" (c.1526-27). This exquisite miniature in original frame is a Grand Tour souvenir of the highest quality. The blue velvet liner is sun faded. The Christ child places a gold ring on the hand of St. Catherine of Alexandria...
Category

19th Century Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Wood, Paint, Velvet

Continental Grand Tour Marble Tazza
Located in New York, US
Our large neoclassical tazza carved from variegated charcoal colored marble with red and grey dates from the nineteenth century. Provenance: Jay Waldmann, Waldmann Inc., Southampt...
Category

Late 18th Century European Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Marble

Late 19th Century Alabaster Amphora Urn Table Lamp with Bespoke Raffia Shade
Located in London, GB
Original Grand Tour Italian neoclassical amphora converted to table lamp with very chic square form handles and with ideal aged patination. Coming with beautifully proportioned bespoke custom raffia elongated empire shade...
Category

Late 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Alabaster

Grand Tour Bloodstone Marble Bouillotte Lamp
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Grand tour bloodstone marble Bouillotte lamp The tole shade measures 13" depth x 6" height x 8.5" top The height of the urn without the lamp fittings is 14 inches. The base has a 5...
Category

19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Marble

19th Century French Egyptian Revival Slate and Gilt Obelisk
Located in Stamford, CT
19th century Grand Tour / Egyptian Revival carved and polished black slate obelisk, the fronts decorated with very fine incised hieroglyphic designs which have been accented with gol...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Slate

Italian Giltwood Floor Lamp, 19th Century
Located in Mimizan, FR
Giltwood floor lamp 19th century Italian Unusual and rare lantern Venetian 'Street' light Easy recover to fabric of your choice originally dusky pink ve...
Category

19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Giltwood

Grand Tour Models of Trajan's Column & Cleopatra's Needle, a Pair
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Grand tour models of Trajan's column & Cleopatra's needle, a pair Both with fine detail, and remnants of a thermometer standing 7.5" H x 3" square black marble base affixed with a bronze fence...
Category

19th Century European Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Belgian Black Marble, Bronze, Metal

Pair of Italian Grand Tour Paintings of Maenads, After Pompeii, Signed
Located in Stamford, CT
Two wonderful oil on canvas paintings of Maenads, inspired by frescoes unearthed at Pompeii in the late 18th century. Both shown suspended in air holding instruments in flowing drape...
Category

Early 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Canvas

Pair of Italian Marble and Bronze Obelisks " Venere", Limited Edition, 2017
Located in Rome, IT
pair of italian verde alpi marble and bronze obelisks "VENERE" -grand tour collection- produced by Lorenzo Ciompi, 2017 designed, produced and executed directly in exclu...
Category

2010s Italian Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Grand Tour furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Grand Tour furniture for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage furniture created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects, more furniture and collectibles, wall decorations and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, stone and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Grand Tour furniture made in a specific country, there are Europe, Italy, and France pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original furniture, popular names associated with this style include Bertrando Di Renzo, Giustiniani, F. Barbedienne Foundry, and Ferdinand Barbedienne. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for furniture differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $45 and tops out at $365,566 while the average work can sell for $2,501.

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