Grand Tour Paperweights

This is a 19th century classical male sculpture in bronze. This is a sculpture that would have been purchased on your grand tour of Europe. This male figure has a classical pose with...

19th Century Grand Tour Bronze Sculpture of Narcissus. Narcissus is shown in a moment of self-reflection, standing in a contemplative pose. His idealized form highlights his youthful...

Crystal Inkwell with stopper is a beautiful decorative object. The Inkwell is hexagonal and it is in good condition. Light oxidation at the base of the stopper.

We are delighted to offer for sale this extremely collectable original Victorian Marble Grand Tour Roman Ruin statue of columns A wonderful original piece, this is a desk sized co...

An extraordinary and wonderfully rendered 19th century Italian cast bronze depicting a seated Hermes, the Greek god of messengers, travelers, and merchan...

Alabaster ashtray is an original decorative object realized in Italy in the mid-20th Century. Entirely realized in alabaster (as reported on the label under the base).

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...

Antique bronze sculpture of man reading a letter or proclamation. Marble base, 19th century. Unsigned.

AFTER MICHELANGELO OF ANTIQUITY Grand Tour Model of Giuliano de Medici from the Medici Chapel in Florence Patinated sand-cast bronze numbered on the back corner "5505", otherwise u...

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...

A selection of antique Grand Tour marbles. In an inclined display structure made of lacquered cherry wood and profiled in black (ebony wood), a coll...

A fine and rare Neapolitan Grand Tour bronze of the Venus Callipyge, after the original in National Archeological Museum of Naples. Signed Sommer, Napoli. An erotic bronze, the name ...