Grand Tour Architectural Elements

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 micromosaics — small 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.

Style: Grand Tour

A Fine & Large 19th Century Grand Tour Serpentine Marble Socle, Italy Circa 1800

$2,660Sale Price|30% Off

A Fine & Large 19th Century Grand Tour Serpentine Marble Socle, Italy Circa 1800

Located in Ottawa, Ontario

An impressively large mottled 'verde prato' serpentine socle of turned columnar form, rising from a stepped base to a flattened plateau above a cavetto-shaped edge. In relation to it...

Category

Early 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Architectural Elements

Materials

Marble, Serpentine

Pair of column crowns in form of pine cones, symbol of luck, marble, 1920, Italy

$2,400 / set

Pair of column crowns in form of pine cones, symbol of luck, marble, 1920, Italy

Located in Wien, AT

A pair of wonderful, antique column crowns, decorative objects, hand-made in Italy, around 1920, in the Art Deco period, based on an antique model. On a square marble base there is ...

Category

1920s Italian Vintage Grand Tour Architectural Elements

Materials

Carrara Marble

Monumental Marble Inlaid Obelisks, Grand Tour Style

$38,000

Monumental Marble Inlaid Obelisks, Grand Tour Style

Located in El Monte, CA

Unique monumental Italian 19th Century Grand Tour Style Specimen marble inlaid obelisks. Marble is precisely cut and inlaid into a fine two-tone...

Category

20th Century European Grand Tour Architectural Elements

Materials

Marble

19th Century Devil Gargoyle Wall Bracket, Antique Plaster Decor

$1,038

19th Century Devil Gargoyle Wall Bracket, Antique Plaster Decor

Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight

19th Century Devil Gargoyle Bracket This is a very old hard plaster wall bracket The subject is a horned devil surrounded with grapes and vines The Bracket is sound with the expec...

Category

19th Century Antique Grand Tour Architectural Elements

Materials

Plaster

19th Century Italian Carved Marble Column Capital

$4,550

H 15 in W 19.5 in D 19 in

19th Century Italian Carved Marble Column Capital

Located in Austin, TX

A stately and well carved marble Corinthian column capital, 19th century, Italy. Presented and displayed inverted, with a typical decorative motif of acanthus and volute. Perfect f...

Category

Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Architectural Elements

Materials

Marble

Vintage Hand-Carved African Dogan Ladder, Rustic Wood Sculpture, 1950s

$3,000

H 52 in W 26 in D 12 in

Vintage Hand-Carved African Dogan Ladder, Rustic Wood Sculpture, 1950s

Located in Hopewell, NJ

Impressive vintage carved wood architectural ladder carved by Dogan people to access their dwellings. Mounted on a 12 x 15 base, the ladder is now a sculptural piece of African art.

Category

1950s Sahrawi Vintage Grand Tour Architectural Elements

Materials

Wood

19th Century Antique French Limestone Fireplace Mantel

$3,200Sale Price|21% Off

H 46.86 in W 49.61 in D 13 in

19th Century Antique French Limestone Fireplace Mantel

Located in Haarlem, Noord-Holland

Very warm colored French Corton limestone fireplace. Opening measurements: 41.7 x 40.9 inch. (106 x 104 cm) height x width.

Category

19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Architectural Elements

Materials

Limestone

Pair of 19th Century Carved & Gilded Corbels Converted to Bookends, Circa 1890

$500 / set

H 7.75 in W 4.75 in D 3.5 in

Pair of 19th Century Carved & Gilded Corbels Converted to Bookends, Circa 1890

Located in Ottawa, Ontario

A highly decorative pair of 19th century Regence-style painted & gilded architectural corbel elements with hand carved acanthus leaf detail, salvaged from the interior of a 19th cent...

Category

Late 19th Century Canadian Antique Grand Tour Architectural Elements

Materials

Wood

Impressive Pair of Ormolu Mounted Marble Obelisks

$9,850 / set

H 57 in W 14 in D 14 in

Impressive Pair of Ormolu Mounted Marble Obelisks

Located in Dallas, TX

Pair of large marble obelisks. Made from solid Verde Antico marble with bronze neoclassical style decorative mounts on all four sides.

Category

Mid-19th Century Antique Grand Tour Architectural Elements

Materials

Marble, Bronze

19th Century Plaster Detail from a Building in Belgium

$3,500

H 22.5 in W 24.75 in D 7 in

19th Century Plaster Detail from a Building in Belgium

Located in Houston, TX

19th century plaster detail from a building in Belgium. Was the capital on top of a column which shows fish, swags, a flower and an angel. Great wall art!

Category

19th Century Belgian Antique Grand Tour Architectural Elements

Materials

Plaster

19th Century Antique Spanish White Marble Sink

$2,392

H 4.73 in W 27.17 in D 19.3 in

19th Century Antique Spanish White Marble Sink

Located in Marbella, ES

19th century antique Spanish white marble sink.

Category

1850s Spanish Antique Grand Tour Architectural Elements

Materials

Marble

Pair of Monumental Pietra Dura Grand Tour Marble Obelisks, 19th Century

$8,900 / set

H 70 in W 13 in D 13 in

Pair of Monumental Pietra Dura Grand Tour Marble Obelisks, 19th Century

Located in Essex, MA

Pair of large marble "Grand Tour" Pietra Dura specimen marble obelisks Each in Italian specimen marble on bases.

Category

Late 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Architectural Elements

Materials

Marble

Pair 19th Century Neoclassical Style Italian Plaster Urns with Flame Finials

$2,350

H 28.5 in W 9.75 in D 5.5 in

Pair 19th Century Neoclassical Style Italian Plaster Urns with Flame Finials

Located in Stamford, CT

Pair of Italian neoclassical style urns in relief that can either stand on their own or hang from the wall as decorative elements. Quite handsome, with acanthus leaf decoration and f...

Category

Late 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Architectural Elements

Materials

Plaster

Large "Ganesh & Parvati" Painted Iron Screens, India, circa 1950s

$7,654 / set

H 65.75 in W 53.94 in D 1.19 in

Large "Ganesh & Parvati" Painted Iron Screens, India, circa 1950s

Located in Isle Sur La Sorgue, Vaucluse

Delightful pair of large iron screens, depicting the Hindu deities Parvati and Ganesh.

Category

Mid-20th Century Indian Grand Tour Architectural Elements

Hand Forged Wrought Iron Moorish Folding Screen, Three Panels, Morocco

$1,850

H 68.5 in W 47.25 in D 0.5 in

Hand Forged Wrought Iron Moorish Folding Screen, Three Panels, Morocco

Located in Moreno Valley, CA

Hand forged folding Moroccan iron screen with three panels decorated with Moorish designs. Classic and elegant Art & Craft this highly embellished, detailed folding screen divider in the Mediterranean Spanish style iron art work would embellish any room, garden or wall, Santa Barbara style. Could make an amazing headboard. Three panels folding iron screen with Moorish designs in repeat. Heavy and well-made original condition. Each panel: 68.5" high, 15.75" wide Folds up for easy storage. Hand forged heavy wrought iron screen divider by skilled Moroccan artisans in Marrakech Morocco. Rustic Spanish colonial style wrought iron window grill...

Category

20th Century Moroccan Grand Tour Architectural Elements

Materials

Wrought Iron

Pair of concrete pine cones, column or outdoor decoration, Italy

$956Sale Price / set|20% Off

H 28.75 in W 13.78 in D 13.78 in

Pair of concrete pine cones, column or outdoor decoration, Italy

Located in Cuneo, Italy (CN)

Ancient pair of concrete pine cones, they were a decoration on the top of the column, now usable to decorate exteriors, gardens, but also interiors or to indulge your imagination, bu...

Category

20th Century Italian Grand Tour Architectural Elements

Materials

Concrete

Previously Available Items

Antique Neoclassical Grand Tour Giltwood Architectural Columns, a Pair

Sold

H 18.75 in W 5.13 in D 5.13 in

Antique Neoclassical Grand Tour Giltwood Architectural Columns, a Pair

Located in Elkhart, IN

A stunning pair of Grand Tour or Neoclassical gilt wood architectural tabletop columns. Italy, Early 20th Century Measures: 5.13"W x 5.13"D x 18.75"H. Good vintage condition.

Category

Early 20th Century Italian Grand Tour Architectural Elements

Materials

Giltwood

Antique Italian Grand Tour Lion and Chain Cast Bronze Door Knocker

Sold

H 9 in W 10.25 in D 2.25 in

Antique Italian Grand Tour Lion and Chain Cast Bronze Door Knocker

Located in Elkhart, IN

A gorgeous cast bronze Grand Tour triple lion head and chain door knocker Italy, Late-19th Century Measures: 10.25"W x 2.25 "D x 9"H. Very good original vintage condition.

Category

Late 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Architectural Elements

Materials

Bronze

Handsome Pair of Grand Tour Style Architectural Models

Sold

H 7.5 in W 7.75 in L 7.5 in

Handsome Pair of Grand Tour Style Architectural Models

Located in Hopewell, NJ

A classic pair of Grand Tour style composition column models. The first is in the form of the ruins of the Temple of Castor and Pollux. It ...

Category

1980s American Vintage Grand Tour Architectural Elements

Materials

Composition

Grand Tour Verdigris Roman Bronze and Copper Stove after the Pompeii Original

Sold

H 39 in W 18.5 in D 17.5 in

Grand Tour Verdigris Roman Bronze and Copper Stove after the Pompeii Original

By Fonderia Chiurazzi

Located in Stamford, CT

This is the coolest piece I've acquired recently. It is an Italian Grand Tour copy of a Roman stove or food warmer after an original excavated at Pompeii. The verdigris patina is fab...

Category

Early 20th Century Italian Grand Tour Architectural Elements

Materials

Bronze

Antique French Cast Iron Half Round Wall Mount Garden Planter Pedestal Urn Form

Sold

H 32.5 in W 27 in D 14 in

Antique French Cast Iron Half Round Wall Mount Garden Planter Pedestal Urn Form

Located in Philadelphia, PA

Antique French cast iron half round Demilune wall-mounted garden planter circa 19th century. Item features a 32.5" tall pedestal urn form with very unique half round shape and finely...

Category

19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Architectural Elements

Materials

Iron

Grand Tour architectural elements for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Grand Tour architectural elements 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 architectural elements created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include building and garden elements, decorative objects, more furniture and collectibles and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with marble, stone and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Grand Tour architectural elements made in a specific country, there are Europe, Italy, and United Kingdom pieces for sale on 1stDibs. 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 architectural elements differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $895 and tops out at $38,000 while the average work can sell for $3,800.