Antique Grand Tour Empire Period Bronze Pen Tray, 19th Century

View Similar Items

19th Century Italian Grand Tour Bronze Inkwell

19th Century Grand Tour Antique Handmade Bronze Mortar with Pestle

Antique 19th century William IV bronze and ormolu pen tray

19th Century Bronze and Ormolu Oval Pen Tray

Victorian Grand Tour Bronze Bovine & Bacchus Inkwell 19th Century

Lovely 19th Century Antique Italian Venus De Milo Grand Tour Bronze Statue

19th Century Grand Tour Lion Attacking a Horse Miniature Bronze Sculpture

Gilt Bronze and Griotte Red marble inkwell, Empire Period, early 19th century

Antique Hand Carved Grand Tour Spheres Diptych Form 19th Century

Antique Grand Tour Pietra Dura Specimen Paperweight 19th C

A Grand Tour Specimen Marble Paperweight, Late 19th Century

19th Century, French, Empire Bronze Dore Inkwell Signed

Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 11

Antique Grand Tour Empire Period Bronze Pen Tray, 19th Century

About the Item

This is an elegant antique Grand Tour French Empire Period bronze pen tray, Circa 1810 in date. The beautiful bronze pen tray is of plain oval outline with Vitruvian scroll border decoration supported on four gilt bronze paw feet. Add some classical elegance to your desk with this lovely piece. Condition: In really excellent condition with only minor marks consistant with age and use, please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 4 x width 26 x depth 7 Dimensions in inches: Height 1.6 x width 10.2 x depth 2.8 The Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage. Though primarily associated with the British nobility and wealthy landed gentry, similar trips were made by wealthy young men of Protestant Northern European nations on the Continent, and from the second half of the 18th century some South American, U.S., and other overseas youth joined in. The tradition was extended to include more of the middle class after rail and steamship travel made the journey less of a burden. The primary value of the Grand Tour, it was believed, lay in the exposure both to the cultural legacy of classical antiquity and the Renaissance, and to the aristocratic and fashionably polite society of the European continent. In addition, it provided the only opportunity to view specific works of art, and possibly the only chance to hear certain music. A grand tour could last from several months to several years. It was commonly undertaken in the company of a knowledgeable guide or tutor. The Grand Tour not only provided a liberal education but allowed those who could afford it the opportunity to buy things otherwise unavailable at home, and it thus increased participants' prestige and standing. Grand Tourists would return with crates of art, books, pictures, sculpture, and items of culture, which would be displayed in libraries, cabinets, gardens, and drawing rooms, as well as the galleries built purposely for their display; The Grand Tour became a symbol of wealth and freedom. Empire symbols. The Consular period in France began in November 1799 when the Directory was overthrown in a bloodless coup and replaced by three consuls, including Napoleon. This overthrow followed a series of military disasters and insurrections that led to a breakdown of faith in the government. A few weeks after the coup Napoleon was named First Consul. In 1802 he was named First Consul for life and in December 1804 Napoleon crowned himself Emperor. The period of his reign as Emperor, from May 1804 to June 1815, is known as the Empire period. Napoleon, having gained his position through his political and military achievements, used artists, designers and architects to promote and legitimise his regime. He appointed Charles Percier (1764–1838) and Pierre-François-Léonard Fontaine (1762–1853) as the official architects and designers of the Empire period and they became major exponents of the Empire style. Design of the Consular and Empire periods was characterised by militaristic elements – symbols of war and victory, imperial emblems, such as the golden eagle, classical palm leaves and laurel wreaths. These symbols of power made a direct visual connection between the regime and the glory and authority of the ancient Roman emperors. Sphinxes, winged lions and creatures with heads of eagles were employed as table legs and armrests on chairs. Broad, austere surfaces of exotic woods, particularly mahogany, were ornamented with motifs in marquetry and ormolu (gilt-bronze) and the heavy, monumental style of the furniture reflected a grandiose magnificence. Heavy bases accentuated a monumental appearance and symmetry was closely followed. At the height of the Empire period, the style was majestic and magnificent. Napoleon’s Egyptian Campaign brought about a craze in France for all things Egyptian. The detailed drawings of art and architecture published on his return by artist and archaeologist Dominique-Vivant Denon led to the incorporation of Egyptian motifs in the furniture and decorative arts of the following decades. As well as military, Egyptian and Classical imagery, the Empire period also embraced opulence and imagery of love, sensuality and seduction: the swan – one of the forms the god Zeus took to seduce mortal women; the lyre – an instrument of art and seduction; and bows and arrows – the tools of Cupid. Swans, also emblems of Venus and the adopted symbol of Josephine – were employed as armrests or as entire arms of chairs. Aspects of the myth of Cupid and Psyche were also a common theme. The butterfly symbolising both Psyche and the soul was a recurrent motif. Other symbols and motifs of the Empire period included the bee, a symbol of immortality and resurrection, specifically chosen by Napoleon to link his new Empire to the very origins of France, the cornucopia or horn of plenty; images of Mars and Venus symbolising love and peace brought about through military success, and the initials of the Emperor and Empress – N for Napoleon and J for Josephine. The Empire style achieved great popularity and was adopted in courts throughout Europe. In England it was known as the Regency style.

Dimensions:
Height: 1.58 in (4 cm)Width: 10.24 in (26 cm)Depth: 2.76 in (7 cm)
Style:
Empire (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Bronze
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
1810-1819
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1810
Condition:
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
Seller: 091461stDibs: LU950612210473

More From This Seller

View All

Antique Grand Tour Pietra Dura Specimen Paperweight 19th C

Located in London, GB

This is a superb decorative antique Italian Grand Tour marble Pietra Dura mounted desk paperweight, circa 1880 in date. This splendid rectangular paperweight is exquisitely inlai...

Category

Antique 1880s Italian Paperweights

Materials

Agate, Amethyst, Malachite, Onyx, Marble

Antique Grand Tour Pietra Dura Specimen Paperweight 19th C

$442

Antique Grand Tour Pietra Dura Specimen Top Paperweight, 19th C

Located in London, GB

This is a superb decorative antique Italian Grand Tour marble Pietra Dura mounted desk paperweight, circa 1880 in date. This splendid rectangular paperweight is exquisitely inlaid with a sumptuous arrangement of semi-precious stones including malachite, agate, onyx and amethyst. It is beautifully inlaid on a slate base. Not only is this desk paperweight very functional, but it is also an exquisite mineralogical wonder that can be admired by all discerning collectors. Condition: In excellent condition, please see photos for confirmation, Dimensions in cm: Height 2 x Width 17 x Depth 10 Dimensions in inches: Height 1 inch x width 7 inches x depth 4 inches. Pietra dura is a term for the inlay technique of using cut and fitted, highly polished coloured stones to create images. It is considered a decorative art. Pietre dure is an Italian plural meaning "hard rocks" or hardstones; the singular pietra dura is also encountered in Italian. In Italian, but not in English, the term embraces all gem engraving and hardstone carving, which is the artistic carving of three-dimensional objects in semi-precious stone, normally from a single piece, for example in Chinese jade. The traditional convention in English has been to use the singular pietra dura just to denote multi-colored inlay work. However, in recent years there has been a trend to use pietre dure as a term for the same thing, but not for all of the techniques it covers, in Italian. But the title of a 2008 exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Art of the Royal Court: Treasures in Pietre Dure from the Palaces of Europe used the full Italian sense of the term, probably because they thought that it had greater brand recognition. The material on the website speaks of objects such as a vase in lapis lazuli as being examples of "hardstone carving (pietre dure)" The Victoria & Albert Museum in London uses both versions on its website, but uses pietra dura. "A method of inlaying coloured marbles or semi-precious stones into a stone base, often in geometric or flower patterns...." Giovanni Montelatici...

Category

Antique 1880s Italian Paperweights

Materials

Agate, Amethyst, Malachite, Onyx, Marble

Antique Grand Tour Pietra Dura Specimen Top Paperweight, 19th C

$518

Antique Grand Tour Italian Vatican Micro-Mosaic Marble Desk Weight 19th Century

Located in London, GB

This is a stunning decorative antique Italian Grand Tour Vatican Micro-Mosaic inset black marble desk weight, in the form of a miniature table, circa 1870 ...

Category

Antique 1870s Italian Paperweights

Materials

Agate, Malachite, Onyx, Granite, Marble, Porphyry

Antique Grand Tour Italian Vatican Micro-Mosaic Marble Desk Weight 19th Century

$4,558

Antique Empire Period Bronze Table Lamp, 19th Century

Located in London, GB

An elegant French Empire bronze and marble table lamp, circa 1820 in date. The candlestick later converted into a lamp features an ancanthus capital, a fluted tapering column on c...

Category

Antique 1820s French Empire Table Lamps

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Antique Empire Period Bronze Table Lamp, 19th Century

$1,726

Antique French Grand Tour Bronze & Ormolu Urn, 19th Century

Located in London, GB

This is a beautiful antique French Grand Tour dark patinated bronze and ormolu urn with ormolu liner, C1850 in date. This stunning bronze is superbly cast and has an elegant brown...

Category

Antique 1850s French Urns

Materials

Bronze, Ormolu

Antique French Grand Tour Bronze & Ormolu Urn, 19th Century

$932

Antique French Grand Tour Bronze & Ormolu Jardiniere 19th Century

Located in London, GB

This is a beautiful large antique French Grand Tour dark patinated bronze and ormolu jardiniere, Circa 1830 in date. This stunning bronze is superbly cast and has an elegant brown...

Category

Antique 1830s French Planters and Jardinieres

Materials

Bronze, Ormolu

Antique French Grand Tour Bronze & Ormolu Jardiniere 19th Century

$5,456

Antique 19th Century Italian Renaissance Revival Inkwells

Materials

Bronze

19th Century Italian Grand Tour Bronze Inkwell

$760 Sale Price

20% Off

19th Century Grand Tour Antique Handmade Bronze Mortar with Pestle

Located in Roma, IT

19th-century grand tour antique handmade bronze mortar with pestle. This fantastic piece has an original patina. The pestle is 9.05 inc high wit...

Category

Antique Mid-19th Century European Grand Tour Scientific Instruments

Materials

Bronze

19th Century Grand Tour Antique Handmade Bronze Mortar with Pestle

$523

Antique 19th century William IV bronze and ormolu pen tray

Located in London, GB

A large William IV period bronze & ormolu Pentray having cutglass inkwells and central urn with leaf and shell border & carrying handles, supported on bold leaf scrolled feet.

Category

Antique Mid-19th Century English Rococo Revival Inkwells

Materials

Bronze, Ormolu

Antique 19th century William IV bronze and ormolu pen tray

$3,868

19th Century Bronze and Ormolu Oval Pen Tray

Located in London, GB

An attractive early 19th century Regency period bronze and Ormolu oval Pen Tray, with thistle, fruit and flower handles, having cut-glass inkwells, quill holders, candleholder and ce...

Category