Grand Tour Jewelry Boxes
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.
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Style: Grand Tour
Early 19th Century French Gold Box with Enamel and Miniature Portrait
Located in Dallas, TX
PRESENTING A STUNNING Early 19C French Gold Box with Enamel and Miniature Portrait.
Box made with brass but has been plated with 18ct Gold with beau...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Jewelry Boxes
Materials
Gold, Enamel
Antique Grand Tour Micro Mosaic Jewelry Box by Cesare Roccheggiani, Rome c. 1875
By Cesare Roccheggiani
Located in London, GB
A highly attractive and rare floral Grand Tour micromosaic jewelry or trinket box made by Cesare Roccheggiani in Rome, Italy, c. 1875.
This is a beautifully detailed micro-mosaic box. The panel in the lid depicts a lush bouquet of spring flowers, including roses, forget-me-nots, daffodils, buttercups and crocus, amongst others. These are described in brightly coloured stone micromosaic inlaid into a black surround, lending the piece wonderful contrast.
The more common subjects for similar micro mosaic boxes are architectural views of Rome; floral examples such as this are much harder to find.
The panel is mounted in a box gilded in 24 carat gold. Another distinctive feature is the granulated finish around the lid and to the underside of the box: it is most unusual and lends the piece a lovely texture.
A hand-painted champlevé enamel frieze wraps around the central body of the gilt metal box, depicting scrolling turquoise vines blooming with red berries along with blue, green and yellow vine leaves.
The interior is lined in the original silk and in very good original condition. The maker’s name ‘C. ROCCHEGGIANI ROMA’ is emblazoned in gold to the interior of the lid beneath the motif of a cross surmounted by a crown. The lining of both the lid and body are bordered with a ropetwist detail. The lid closes with hooked clasp, and the hinge is in good condition.
Cesare Roccheggiani was one of the most successful mosaicists in the late 19th century in Rome. He probably worked in Michelangelo Barberi’s workshop, and was in all likelihood related to Lorenzo Roccheggiani, a late eighteenth-century master mosaicist at the Vatican whose work included the altarpiece, Crucifixion of St. Peter after Guido Reni, and Nicolo Roccheggiani who worked on the Achilles Shield tabletop commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte, and later gifted to Charles X of France, now in the collection of the Louvre.
Cesare Roccheggiani opened his premises on Via Condotti in Rome in 1874, and ran a production workshop including mosaicists, goldsmiths and other craftsmen. He was renowned as a source for fine quality Grand Tour mosaics...
Category
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Jewelry Boxes
Materials
Stone, Metal
Labradorite Semi Precious Stone Box with Hinged Lid
Located in New York, NY
Labradorite semiprecious stone box with hinged lid. Labradorite displays an iridescent optical effect (or schiller) known as labradorescence. La...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Grand Tour Jewelry Boxes
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Stone, Brass
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Grand Tour jewelry boxes for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Grand Tour jewelry boxes 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 jewelry boxes created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with stone, lapis lazuli and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Grand Tour jewelry boxes made in a specific country, there are Asia, India, and South Asia 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 jewelry boxes differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,240 and tops out at $3,600 while the average work can sell for $2,200.