Grand Tour Decorative Objects
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.
to
65
393
4
3
10
306
77
7
28
21
12
1
2
1
2
4
25,823
14,508
8,882
5,548
3,883
3,109
2,267
1,687
1,397
1,282
1,104
1,083
995
923
918
672
641
573
241
205
199
164
32
234
133
358
226
79
23
19
Height
to
Width
to
400
400
400
2
2
2
2
2
Style: Grand Tour
Pair Of Impressive Medici Lions In Staffordshire Pottery Antique Style
Located in Rothley, Leicestershire
An impressive pair of Medici Lions fashioned after the style of Staffordshire Pottery of the late 1800's
Capable of making a splendid decorative statement
Circa 1960's
Height 4.75 in...
Category
Mid-20th Century English Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Ceramic
Italian Grand Tour Bronze Of Mercury
Located in Essex, MA
Seated figure of a young Mercury after the antique.
Category
1880s Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
Pair, Grand Tour Neoclassical Bronze & Marble Mounted Blue John Specimen Columns
Located in Atlanta, GA
English, 19th century.
An exceptional and rare pair of Grand Tour period Neoclassical columns. Each column has a stepped bronze and white marble plinth and base that is separated b...
Category
19th Century British Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble, Bronze
$15,600 Sale Price / set
20% Off
Large Italian Grand Tour Bronze Sculpture "Dying Galata" /Dying Gaul, C. 1875
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Large Italian Grand Tour Bronze Sculpture "Dying Galata"/Dying Gaul, C. 1875, Attributed to Naples Foundry
A remarkable large Italian Grand Tour bronze sculpture titled "Dying Galata" or "Dying Gaul," dating circa 1875 and attributed to the renowned Naples Foundry. This exquisite piece, an expertly cast bronze, retains its original black-brown patina and boasts a substantial size, standing 12 inches high, 26.5 inches wide, and 13.5 inches deep. It is a distinguished example of the iconic Grand Tour sculptures, which were popular souvenirs for affluent travelers during the 19th century.
The sculpture is a faithful rendition of the ancient Roman marble statue "The Dying Gaul," also known as "The Dying Galatian" or "The Dying Gladiator." The original marble, now housed in the Capitoline Museums in Rome, is a Roman copy of a lost Greek bronze sculpture...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
Bronze Sculpture of Spinario or Boy With A Thorn
Located in Montreal, QC
This bronze figure of Spinario also known as Boy with Thorn and Fedele is a classical figure. It is beautifully cast with very fine detailing and dates to the 19th century, circa 187...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
Antique French Grand Tour Bronze Desk Statue Sculpture Napoleon Column Vendome
Located in Portland, OR
A very good antique French bronze & marble Grand Tour model of the Column de Vendome, Paris, circa 1860.
A fine cast bronze model of the fa...
Category
1860s French Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Grand Tour Style Large Bronze Model of the Farnese Hercules
Located in Montreal, QC
Grand Tour style large bronze model of the Farnese Hercules, after the antique. Early 20th century.
Set on a later ebonized wood base.
Overall height 68 in bronze height 48 in
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
Antique French Grand Tour Patinated Bronze Barbedienne Paris Warwick Vase
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Antique French Grand Tour Patinated Bronze Barbedienne Paris Warwick Vase. Circa Mid 19th Century. Measurements: 16" H x 18" W x 12" D. Weight approx. 60 lbs.
Category
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Neoclassical Solid Marble Onyx Green and Brown Obelisk
Located in Elkhart, IN
A stunning neoclassical or Grand Tour style solid marble onyx green & brown obelisk
Measures: 3.18"W x 3.18"D x 10"H.
Very good original vintage condition. Minor surface wear expec...
Category
Late 20th Century Pakistani Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble
19th Century Italian Grand Tour Steel Lidded Sarcophagus Box
Located in Stamford, CT
Rare 19th century Italian Grand Tour steel sarcophagus form box, circa 1880. Nice form, handsome desk-top accessory, great addition to any box collection. It is unusual to find this ...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Steel
Neoclassical Solid Marble Onyx Green and Brown Obelisk
Located in Elkhart, IN
A stunning neoclassical or Grand Tour style solid marble onyx green & brown obelisk
Measures: 3"W x 3"D x 8"H.
Very good original vintage condition. Minor surface wear expected wit...
Category
Late 20th Century Pakistani Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble
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
Mid-19th Century European Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
Bronze Sculpture of Antikythera Youth
Located in Bradenton, FL
The original Anitkythera Youth, also know as The Ephebe, was discovered in a shipwreck in 1900 off the Greek island of Antikythera, dating back to 340 B.C., and now resides in the Na...
Category
19th Century Greek Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
Grand Tour Italian Antique Bronze Sculpture of Narcissus by Giorgio Sommer
By Giorgio Sommer
Located in Shippensburg, PA
GRAND TOUR
Italy, late 19th century
"Narcissus"
Patinated bronze cast by the Giorgio Sommer foundry in Italy, original ink stamp to underside cast circa 1890-1910
stock ref. 406...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
19th Century Greek Grand Tour Pottery Jug
Located in Bradenton, FL
Small 19th century Greek Grand Tour terracotta pottery jug or vase. Neoclassical Style. Hand painted with picture of two Greek warriors.
Dimens...
Category
Late 19th Century Greek Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Terracotta
19th Century (early) Italian Grand Tour Bronze Bust Marble Stand Marcus Aurelius
Located in Scottsdale, AZ
19th Century (early) Italian Grand Tour Bronze Bust Marble Stand Marcus Aurelius
Unique piece purchased in France.
See detailed photos.
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble, Bronze
19th C. Italian Grand Tour Portrait Medallion of Alexander the Great in Bronze
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
19th Century Italian Grand Tour Portrait Medallion of Alexander the Great in Bronze, Attributed to Naples Foundry, 1st half of 19th Century.
A fine 19th-century Italian Grand Tour...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
Grand Tour Amphora Vase Decorated with Classical Figures
Located in Milford, NH
18th/19th century Grand Tour Amphora vase on hand wrought iron tripod base. Very good overall condition, with expected losses, great surface patina...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Wrought Iron
Large 19th Century Italian Marble Tazza
Located in Buisson, FR
Original and very rare marble tazza. Beautiful color.
Italy, circa 1800-1850
Good condition but consistent with its high age a bit weathered.
More pictures available on request.
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble
$1,491 Sale Price
54% Off
Large Signed 19th Century Grand Tour Bronze Statue of Narcissus
Located in Bradenton, FL
Large 19th Century Grand Tour bronze sculpture of Narcissus after the original found in 1862 at Pompeii. Signed "Bucciano Napoli". When first found in Pompeii it was identified as Na...
Category
19th Century Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
Set Carved Italian Figural Torchieres in Elaborate Turkish Orientalist Costumes
Located in Nashville, TN
Carved figural figures in elaborate and colorful orientalist garb , typical Turkish representation ( Turkey the beginning of the orient ) ,possibly of Venetian origin.
Popularized...
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Wood
$7,600 Sale Price / set
20% Off
Pair of Antique Gilt & Patinated Bronze Cherub Mounted Chamber Sticks 19th C
Located in London, GB
A fine quality pair of antique gilt & patinated bronze cherub mounted chamber sticks circa 19th century.
Category
1880s French Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
Grand Tour Manner Mahogany Obelisks, Pair
Located in Astoria, NY
Grand Tour manner pair of mahogany obelisks, raised on a chased silvered metal base. Tallest: 13" H x 2.75" W x 2.75" D. Provenance: Property from an Upper East Side townhouse.
Deal...
Category
Late 20th Century Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Silver
Pair 19th C. Multi-Specimen Marble & Porphyry Busts, Ceasar Domitian & Augustus
Located in New York, NY
An Incredible and Large Pair of Multi-Specimen Marble and Porphyry Busts of Ceasars Domitian and Augustus of Prima Porta. Each composed of multiple stone specimens and mounted on squ...
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble, Porphyry
$44,000 Sale Price / set
20% Off
Pair of Cast Sculptures Bronze Lions, after Antonio Canova, 19th Century
Located in Cheltenham, GB
A pair of resting bronze lions on shaped walnut painted plinths modeled on the original marble sculpture by Antonio Canova.
Reduction from the originals created by Antonio C...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
$1,586 Sale Price
20% Off
Early 19th Century Bronze French Grand Tour Urns (Pair)
Located in Louisville, KY
This pair of early 19th century Grand Tour Period bronze gilt volute krater urns on stone bases are absolutely breathtaking. The base is a heavy black slate with etched Neo-classic f...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Stone, Slate, Bronze
Italian Grand Tour Bronze Censer with Birds
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A very fine antique Italian attributed grand tour bronze lidded censer applied with birds dating from around 1860. The censer stands raised on a square ba...
Category
1860s Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
Grand Tour 19th Century Marble Bust of Antinous as Hermes by Filli Pugi
Located in Shippensburg, PA
FILLI PUGI
Italian, fl. 19th century
Bust of the Capitoline Antinous after Antiquity
Carved Carrara Marble signed verso “Filli Pugi Firenze” executed circa late 19th century
Ite...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Rare Austin Production Sculpture Claw Foot Bowl/Jardiniere
Located in Ottawa, Ontario
RARE AUSTIN PRODUCTION SCULPTURE
CLAW BOWL / JARDINIERE
Impressed mark
Rafael S.
Austin Sculpture, 1997.
Shaped as a roman Krater raised on four claw footed base,
plaster body with moulded laurel leaf band...
Category
Late 20th Century Mexican Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Plaster
Wounded Amazone in Bronze, Grand Tour
Located in 'S-HERTOGENBOSCH, NL
A small Grand Tour sculpture in Bronze of the ‘Wounded Amazone’, with a stamp of Fumière et Cie, circa 1880.
Category
1880s French Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
Antique French Porcelain Jacob Petite Desk Set Inkstand Provenance Ava Gardner
By Jacob Petit
Located in Dublin, Ireland
Stunning French Lavish Gilt Porcelain Ink Stand of Museum Quality and generous proportions, made by renowned French porcelain maker Jacob Petit. Last quarter of the Nineteenth Centur...
Category
19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Brass
19th Century Italian Grand Tour Figure of 'Faro' Carved in Black Basal
Located in Kastrup, DK
A very decorative 19th century Italian Grand Tour figure of 'Faro' carved in black basalt, mounted on a grey stone base.
Height: 30 cm.
Italy 19th century.
Category
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Stone
19th Century Bronze Statuette of Achilles After the Antique
Located in Vero Beach, FL
19th Century Bronze Statuette of Achilles After the Antique
This 19th century bronze statuette of Achilles the Greek hero of the Trojan war is pictured in an attack pose with shield...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Siena Marble, Bronze
After The Roman Antique - Rock Crystal, Glass & Gold Flecking Grand Tour Pitcher
Located in Atlanta, GA
Likely European, 19th century or earlier.
This pitcher is incredibly unique and unusual. The interior has a cracked rock crystal surface, purple striations and gold flecking which a...
Category
19th Century British Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Rock Crystal
$1,996 Sale Price
20% Off
Grand Tour Tortoiseshell Quartz/Mable Sculpture of Michelangelo's David
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Grand Tour Tortoiseshell Quartz/Mable Sculpture of Michelangelo's David
Italy, Early 20th Century
Add to your collection with this magnificent Grand Tour Tortoiseshell Quartz/Marbl...
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Quartz, Marble
$4,600 Sale Price
20% Off
Antique Pair French Bronze Ormolu Ewers Vases Manner of Claude Michel Clodion
Located in Dublin, Ireland
Fine and Imposing Identical Pair French Heavy Gauge Ormolu & Bronze Renaissance revival style ovoid form Ewers of medium proportions and of outstanding quality, in the manner of Clau...
Category
19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze, Ormolu
Grand Tour Marmo Rosso Model of the Tomb of Scipio, Italian, 19th Century
Located in Spencertown, NY
The red marble sarchophagus mounted on a slate base. Removing the top reveals an empty well.
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble
Grand Tour Italian Neoclassical Patinated Bronze Urn Warwick Vase
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Stunning Grand Tour neoclassical urn or cachepot having fancy decoration on the outside and gilded metal interior. 5.5 diameter 9" w handle to handle Opening is 3.75"
(Connie)
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
Pair of Roman Grand Tour Bronze & Ormolu Snake Serpent Motif Vases/ Ewers/Urns
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Pair of Roman Grand Tour Bronze and Ormolu Serpent Motif Vases/ Ewers/Urns
Italy, circa 1880s
A beautiful pair of Roman Grand Tour Bronze and Ormolu Serpent Motif Vases, Ewers, and...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
$1,996 Sale Price
20% Off
Rare 19th Century Leblanc Freres Grand Tour Bronze Statue of the Arc De Triomph
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to offer for sale this stunning and very rare early 19th century solid bronze with marble base Grand Tour model of the Arc De Triomph by the world renown French company of LeBlanc Freres...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
$5,470 Sale Price
20% Off
19th Century Pair of Bronze Egyptian Revival Sphinx
Located in Dublin 8, IE
19th century pair of bronze Egyptian Revival sphinx figures in reclining poses seated on solid wooden rectangular plinth bases. A well-detailed...
Category
19th Century European Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
Neoclassical Grand Tour Solid Marble Brown and Gray Obelisk
Located in Elkhart, IN
A stunning neoclassical or Grand Tour style solid marble gray and brown obelisk
Measures: 2"W x 2"D x 8"H.
Very good original vintage condition.
Category
Late 20th Century Pakistani Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble
Antique Grand Tour Urn, Italian, Bronze, Posy Vase, Great Exhibition, Victorian
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique Grand Tour urn. An Italian, bronze table top posy vase in the Great Exhibition manner, dating to the early Victorian period, circa 1850.
Delightfully accentuated...
Category
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
Grand Tour Style Bronze Bust of Clytie
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Grand Tour Style bronze bust of Clytie, after the antique, the nymph with downcast face and scantily draped, cupped in a large flower. Raised on a 6" sq...
Category
Early 20th Century French Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
$956 Sale Price
20% Off
Grand Tour Lapis Lazuli and Marble Urn Vase
Located in Madrid, ES
A Grand Tour vase or urn in white marble with lapis lazuli decoration at the base and a ring around the top of the urn.
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Lapis Lazuli, Marble
Very Rare Italian Grand Tour Marble Sculpture of the Eros Di Centocelle
Located in London, GB
A remarkable grand tour marble sculpture of the
eros di Centocelle
The god of love carved from a block of statuary marble, raised on a ...
Category
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Statuary Marble
1960s Italian Grand Tour Style Leather & Burlwood Column Motif Pen Stand/Box
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
1960s Italian Grand Tour Style Leather & Burlwood Column Motif Pen Stand/Box
Italy, 1960s
This Italian Grand Tour style pen stand/box from the 1960s i...
Category
20th Century Italian Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Leather, Burl
$396 Sale Price
20% Off
Grand Tour Bronze Statue of Narcissus
Located in Stockton, NJ
A 19th century Grand Tour bronze statue of Narcissus. Foundry mark Sommer Napoli engraved on circular plinth. Includes original Victorian er...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
Pair Vintage Musical Figural Sculptors Male Book Ends Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Located in Dublin, Ireland
Stylish Pair of Grand Tour style Figural Bookends Holders depicting two sculptural male views of Music Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Standing in p...
Category
Mid-20th Century British Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble
Pair of Magnificent Patinated Bronze Sculptures After Clodian
Located in Lambertville, NJ
A Pair of 19th Century Grand Tour bronzes after the original sculptor, Claude Michael Clodion. The male and female Satyr Bacchus themes with putti and the adult figures with an origi...
Category
1870s Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Siena Marble, Bronze
Set of 50 Grand Tour Bronze Medallions of Roman Emperors & Wives
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
A set of 50 Grand Tour style patinated bronze medallions of Roman Emperors and their wives, typically seen on coins of the time.
A collection of this size is unusual and an exceptio...
Category
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Metal, Bronze
Italian marble dust Relief of Roman Emperor with Gilt Frame
Located in New York, NY
Circular Italian style marble dust relief plaque depicting a Roman emperor, possibly Nero, mounted in later carved laurel wreath gilt plaster frame meas...
Category
Early 2000s Unknown Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble
Pair of Bronze Busts of Rousseau and Voltaire
Located in London, GB
A pair of Antique busts of the French philosophers Rousseau and Voltaire. Unusually although from fairly standard portraits the busts appear to be English rather than French as they ...
Category
1820s English Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
Petite Antique Italian Grand Tour Style Bronze Figural Sculpture
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
Dimensions- H: 6 1/2in W: 3 1/3in D: 3 1/4in
This vintage Italian Grand Tour style bronze figural sculpture of a man on marble base is exceptional and was made with quality in mind!...
Category
20th Century Italian Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble, Bronze
19th Century Italian Grand Tour Bronze Wine Vessel Askos with Panther Handle
Located in Stamford, CT
19th century Italian Grand Tour panther handled askos, or wine vessel. The design of this piece is probably based on a bronze Roman askos held within Naples Museum. An askos is an a...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
Monumental Uffizi Boar or Il Porcellino by Austin and Seeley
By Austin & Seeley
Located in London, GB
A mid-19th century model of the Uffizi Boar, called 'Il Porcellino', by Austin & Seeley, the seated figure of the boar on an integral square plinth.
This cast stone model of the Uffizi Boar takes its name from a 17th-century bronze fountain by sculptor Pietro Tacca, made for Cosimo II de' Medici and originally placed in the Loggia at the Mercato Nuovo in Florence. This civic space was also known as the Loggia del Porcellino, named after the boar as rubbing the statue's nose is said to bring great wealth. Made in the 1630s, it was modelled after an earlier marble version (Italian, 2nd-1st century BC) discovered in Rome in 1556 on the slopes of the Esquiline Hill, itself thought to be based on a lost Greek Hellenistic bronze version. After restoration, the marble statue was brought to Florence in 1568 as a gift from Pope Pius IV to Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici, initially placed in the Pitti Palace. Both this marble and the 17th-century bronze versions are now housed in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. It remained an immensely popular subject for Grand Tourists, who collected their own versions. It is a testament to the commercial prowess of Austin and Seeley...
Category
Mid-19th Century English Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Composition
Grand Tour Neapolitan Tripod Oil Lamp
Located in New York, NY
Grand Tour Neapolitan Tripod Oil Lamp. Bronze patinated metal oil lamp of tripod form with lion head masks with rings, supported by lion monopedia on ball terminals on conforming bas...
Category
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
19th Century Alabaster Grand Tour Sculpture of the Temple Of Vespasian And Titus
Located in Stockholm, SE
This finely carved 19th-century alabaster sculpture is a nice example of Grand Tour artistry, depicting the Temple of Vespasian and Titus in Rome. The base is inscribed "TEMPIO DI VESPASIANO," and the entablature bears the partial inscription "ESTITVER," referencing the Latin word "restituerunt," meaning "they restored," from a 3rd-century inscription commemorating renovations by Emperors Septimius Severus and Caracalla.
The Temple of Vespasian and Titus, located at the western end of the Roman Forum, was initiated by Emperor Titus in 79 AD to honor his deified father, Vespasian. After Titus's death in 81 AD, his brother Domitian completed the temple around 87 AD. Designed in the Corinthian order, the temple featured a hexastyle portico with six columns at the front and was constructed in a constrained space measuring approximately 33 meters in length and 22 meters in width.
During the 19th century, as part of the Grand Tour tradition, affluent European and American travelers collected architectural souvenirs...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Alabaster
Venus Pudica (Medici-type) - 18th century, Italy
Located in Bruxelles, BE
Monumental sculpture representing the Venus Pudica (Medici-type)
18th Century
Italian (Rome)
White marble
Based on a model from Antiquity, the Medici Venus, currently in the Uffizi ...
Category
Early 18th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble
19th Century Silvered Bronze Athénienne Jardinière by Ferdinand Barbedienne
Located in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
A French silvered-bronze athénienne by Ferdinand Barbedienne, Paris, last quarter 19th century with a revolving liner, the frieze applied with bucrania suspending ribbon-tied berried laurel swags above a border of bellflowers on a stippled ground above three seated female sphinxes issuing stylised foliage and scrolls on lion monopodia cast with the mask of Hercules, scrolling foliage and anthemions joined by stretchers, raised on a concave-sided triform marble base on a further thin silvered-bronze base, inscribed to the tripod base 'F. BARBEDIENNE'
Measures: 103.3cm. high, 41.5cm. diameter; 3ft. 4 3/8 in, 1ft. 4 1/4.
This impressive athénienne is a key reminder of the longevity of a particular model and design’s success from Antiquity through to the 19th century and up until this day. Typically known as the ‘Trépied du Temple d’Isis’, this athénienne is designed after the Roman antique originally found at Pompeii and now at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples (fig.1). From being for example an inspiration for the baptismal font of Napoléon’s son in 1811, this model was the inspiration to many highly skilled makers throughout the 19thcentury such as the Manfredini brothers from Milan and of course the Parisian well-established bronze founder Ferdinand Barbedienne who executed the present example.
The Temple of Isis was a Roman temple dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Isis and was among one of the first discoveries during the excavation of Pompeii in 1764. Certainly considered as one of the most elegant examples of antique tripods, the existence of this model was then popularized to the rest of Europe via prints, one of the first being by Giovanni Battista Piranesi in 1779. This type of tripod was also popularised by an engraving in C. Percier and P. Fontaine’s, Receuil de Décorations Intérieures of 1801. Interestingly, there is also a watercolour now in the Musée Carnavalet, Paris, showing this type of tripod displayed at the 1801 Exposition des Produits de L’Industrie in the Louvre.
The passion for Greek and Roman Art in the 19th century.
The discovery of Pompeii and Herculaneum around the middle of the 18th century gave rise to a new passion for Antiquity and the excavated masterpieces renewed the repertoire of fine and decorative arts and served as models for Neoclassicism. Members of the aristocracy as well as connoisseurs, particularly in England, completed their education by undertaking a ‘Grand Tour’ of Italy and often fell victim to the recently unearthed Greek and Roman artefacts...
Category
19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble, Silver Plate, Bronze
Grand Tour decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Grand Tour decorative objects 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 decorative objects created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects, more furniture and collectibles, building and garden elements and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, bronze and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Grand Tour decorative objects 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 decorative objects, popular names associated with this style include F. Barbedienne Foundry, Achille Collas, Ferdinand Barbedienne, and Borghese. 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 decorative objects differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $175 and tops out at $108,390 while the average work can sell for $2,528.