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
61
391
4
3
10
305
76
7
28
21
11
1
2
1
2
4
25,767
14,374
8,907
5,634
3,886
3,096
2,276
1,694
1,336
1,286
1,105
1,085
990
926
907
672
646
574
239
204
198
163
31
230
134
357
224
79
24
20
Height
to
Width
to
398
398
398
2
2
2
2
2
Style: Grand Tour
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
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
Grand Tour Plaster Figure Of The Dancing Faun
Located in Lincolnshire, GB
A 19th century Italian plaster figure of the dancing faun, patinated to look like bronze.
Circa 1870
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Plaster
Small Bronze Bust of the Boy Octavian, 19th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Small bronze bust of young Octavian, later Emperor Augustus and first Roman Emperor.
Category
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
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
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
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
Bronze Plaque of Napoleon Crossing the Alps after the Painting by David
Located in London, GB
Bronze plaque in high relief of Napoleon crossing the Alps after the famous painting by Jacques-Louis David (30 August 1748-29 December 1825...
Category
Early 1800s French Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
Antique Minton Parian-ware Sculpture of Ariadne & the Panther by John Bell
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
An antique Minton parian-ware and porcelain sculpture of Ariandne and the panther modelled by John Bell (1811-1895).
Dating to the mid 19th century, this sculpture depicts the Creta...
Category
Mid-19th Century English Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Ceramic, Porcelain
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
Pair of Cabinet Size Roman Classical Urns or Vases
Located in Rochester, NY
Pair of Roman classical two handled urns. Patinated cast iron. Mid 19th century grand tour.
Category
19th Century European Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Iron
Apollo and Diana Plaster Busts
Located in Savannah, GA
A pair of modern grand tour plaster busts depicting Apollo and Diana, circa 1940s.
5 ½ inches wide by 4 ¼ inches deep by 10 ½ inches tall
Good overall with some discoloration and ...
Category
1940s Unknown Vintage Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Plaster
$1,200 / set
A Vintage Italian Grand Tour Specimen Marble Ruler, 20th Century
Located in Spencertown, NY
The 7 1/4" ruler with 8 different specimens inset with in a black marble frame.
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble
19th C. Italian Grand Tour Micro-Mosaic "Doves of Pliny" Box After Antiquity
By Vatican Mosaic Studio
Located in Atlanta, GA
Italian, likely Circa 1880.
This beautiful box has an exceptional Grand Tour Micro-mosaic plaque depicting the Capitoline Doves or Doves of Pliny after the Roman antiquity. Also by ...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Slate, Bronze
$1,196 Sale Price
20% Off
English "Grand Tour" Derbyshire Specimen Marble Plaque Paperweights, circa 1850
Located in Kinderhook, NY
A collection of three 'Grand Tour' English / Italian polychrome marble plaques or paperweights, one rectangular; two of cartouche form, the 'Derbyshire' or 'Belgian Black' marble slabs inset with native English stones 'Blue John' (Derbyshire Spar), 'Duke's Red', 'Bird's-Eye', and foreign Lapis Lazuli, Malachite, and Jasper in 'ovoid' and 'kidney' form inlays.
Measurements :
Rectangular plaque: 8" by 4.63" by .88"
Cartouche plaque...
Category
Mid-19th Century English Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble
Grand Tour Bronze, Two-Tone Enamel & Pietra Dura Dressing Box or Humidor C. 1880
Located in Atlanta, GA
This exceptional Grand Tour dressing box or humidor, crafted in France circa 1880, epitomizes the luxurious design and meticulous craftsmanship of the late 19th century. Constructed ...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble, Bronze, Enamel
$1,516 Sale Price
20% Off
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
European Classical Alabaster Figure of Diana
Located in Bradenton, FL
19th Century European Classical Alabaster Figure of Diana, a reinterpretation of the ancient Roman statue. This statue known for its graceful portraya...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble
A rare pair of Grand Tour gilt bronze horses of Saint Mark Venice, circa 1900
Located in Central England, GB
This superb pair of Grand Tour Italian gilt bronzes dates to the late 19th century. They are solid cast and very heavy for their size. They are decorative Grand Tour reproductions ta...
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
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
pair of Italian 19th century Alabaster and Verde Ranocchia marble busts
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A wonderful and small scaled pair of Italian 19th century Grand Tour Period Alabaster and Verde Ranocchia marble bust of Torquato Tasso and Michele Sanmicheli. These most decorative ...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble
Antique French Grand Tour Gilt Bronze Architectural Model Arc de Triomphe 1825
Located in Portland, OR
A fine early 19th century grand tour gilt bronze architectural model of the Arc de Triomphe, French, circa 1825.
This very fine grand tour model of one of France's most celebrated monuments, having pediment with concealed hinged lid opening to a storage reservoir. The bronze having silver relief figural group plaques, the model is mounted on a black marble oval base, the model made by Leblanc Freres...
Category
1820s French Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble, Bronze
19th C Italian Diminutive Grand Tour Bronze Nude Athlete on Lapis, Lazuli Base
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
19th century Italian Diminutive Grand Tour Bronze Nude Athlete on Lapis -Lazuli Base
Italy, Attributed Naples Foundry, circa 1875
This 19th-century Italian bronze sculpture, attribut...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Lapis Lazuli, Bronze
$476 Sale Price / set
20% Off
Diane De Gabies Silvered Grand Tour Bronze Sculpture by Gautier & Albinet
By Gautier A Paris
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A finely scaled model of the Diane de Gabies published by Gautier and Albinet.
With a wonderful distressed silvered surface throughout.
The Diane de Gabies is modeled after th...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
Grand Tour Marble Sculpture Statue Bust of Venus de Milo after the Antique
Located in Shippensburg, PA
GRAND TOUR MODEL OF VENUS DE MILO AFTER ANTIQUITY
Italian a late 19th to early 20th century copy of the original of Antiquity carved from a single block of Carrara marble unsigne...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Mid 20th Century Vintage Grand Tour Plaster Bust of Man
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Channel classical grandeur into your décor with this commanding Vintage Grand Tour-style plaster bust of a bearded man, resting atop a distressed black pedestal. Sculpted with dramat...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Plaster, Wood
$1,320 Sale Price
20% Off
Antique 19th Century Italian Grand Tour Siena Marble Model of a Sarcophagus
Located in New York, NY
A Magnificent Antique 19th Century Italian Grand Tour Siena Marble Model of a Sarcophagus on a Rouge Marble Base. This piece is modeled in the manner of Benedetto Boschetti, featuri...
Category
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble, Siena Marble
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
pair of Italian 18th century Grand Tour Period Ormolu and marble statues
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A handsome and large scale pair of Italian 18th century Grand Tour Period Ormolu, Black Belgian and Rouge Griotte marble busts. Each wonderful bust is raised on square Ormolu base pl...
Category
18th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble, Ormolu
Y. Gianni, Italian the Gulf of Naples, 19th Century
Located in Ottawa, Ontario
Y. Gianni (Italian) The Gulf of Naples, 19th Century. A beautiful signed "Y. Gianni" gouche on paper, framed and matted with description & name on matti...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Paper
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
Neoclassical Solid Marble Black, Brown and Gray Obelisk
Located in Elkhart, IN
A stunning neoclassical or Grand Tour style solid marble black, brown & gray obelisk
Measures: 3.5"W x 3.5"D x 16"H.
Very good original vintage condition.
Category
Late 20th Century Pakistani Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble
Framed Specimen Marbles, Italian, circa 1880
Located in Spencertown, NY
A Collection of 25 Samples with in a Verde Antico Border, with Wooden Frame, Italian, late 19th Century. Each Specimen 2 1/2” x 1 3/4”
Category
1880s Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble, Porphyry
Pair of Italian 19th Century Grand Tour Period Imperial Porphyry Tazzas
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
An extremely elegant pair of Italian 19th century Neo-Classical st. Grand Tour period Imperial Porphyry tazzas. Each tazza with wonderful proportions is...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Porphyry
Italian Grand Tour Antique Bronze Sculpture, Bust of Julius Caesar
Located in Shippensburg, PA
A finely cast and beautifully patinated bust of Julius Caesar, it likely originates from Rome circa the third quarter of the 19th century and rests over its original violet breché ma...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Pair of Grand Tour Bronze Two-Handled Pompeiian Cups circa 1875
Located in Shippensburg, PA
GRAND TOUR PAIR OF BRONZE IVY AND VINE BAS-RELIEF DECORATED TWO-HANDLED 'SCYPHUS' (OR 'SKYPHOS') CUPS ON BLACK MARBLE SOCLE AFTER ANTIQUITY
Cast by the fo...
Category
19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Italian 19th Century Neoclassical Marble Bowl on Pedestal or Tazza Centerpiece
Located in Firenze, IT
This Italian 19th century ( 1810- 1860 circa) antique neoclassical marble tazza or bowl on pedestal features round lines finished with a rolled edge both on top and on socle. This hi...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble
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 Decorative Objects
Materials
Stone, Metal
Pair of Diminutive Italian Grand Tour Style Models of Two Sandaled Right Feet
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Pair of Diminutive Italian Grand Tour Style Models of Two Sandaled Right Feet
Italy, Circa 1960s
A delightful and charming pair of diminutive Italian Grand Tour style models of two ...
Category
20th Century Italian Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble
$316 Sale Price / set
20% Off
19th Century French Patinated Bronze Bust Of Ariadne
Located in Norwood, NJ
Antique 19th century French patinated bronze bust of Ariadne retailed by Tiffany & Co. Beautiful Grand Tour model mounted on a gilt bronze and rouge marble plinth. Marked Tiffany & Co. with inventory number.
The Antinous bust based on the Lansdown Antinous marble found at Hadrian’s Villa...
Category
19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
$2,606 Sale Price
25% Off
An Italian Grand Tour Specimen Marble Paperweight, Late 19th Century
Located in Spencertown, NY
The round paperweight framed in black marble, with porphyry and sienna marble and other marble specimens. The center in sienna marble with carved bea...
Category
1850s Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Belgian Black Marble
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
Italian Grand Tour Style, Pietra Dura & Leather Humidor Or Vanity Box
Located in Atlanta, GA
This exceptional humidor or vanity box is a masterwork of craftsmanship, designed in the exquisite style of the Italian Grand Tour, a period of cultural exploration and refinement th...
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Agate, Malachite, Onyx, Marble, Slate
$476 Sale Price
20% Off
19th Century Grand Tour Italian Corinthian Column Bronze Candle Holders, Pair
Located in Elkhart, IN
A gorgeous pair of grand tour neoclassical gilded bronze Corinthian column candlestick holders
Italy, circa Mid-19th Century
Measures: 5.5"W x 5.5"D x 12.13"H.
Very good ori...
Category
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
$1,996 Sale Price / set
31% Off
Antique Plaster Bust of Apollo on a Simulated Marble Column
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
An antique plaster bust of Apollo in life-size form raised on a simulated marble column.
Dating from the late 19th century, this superb plaster figure will make a handsome feature o...
Category
Late 19th Century English Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Plaster
Grand Tour Bronze Bust Of Seneca
Located in Essex, MA
Bust of Seneca likely made in the Naples area of Italy. Now seated on a faux porphyry base. Loss of a section of bronze at base of neck.
Category
1870s Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
Imposing 19th-Century Gilt Sailor's Pricket with Mounted Natural Sea Fan- 62"H
Located in New York, NY
This striking and unusual piece showcases a large, natural sea fan meticulously mounted on an impressive 19th-century gilt sailor’s pricket, standing an impressive 62" tall. The pric...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Coral
Bronze Pompeian Athénienne-Jardinière attributed to Sabatino De Angelis & Fils
By Sabatino De Angelis
Located in Montreal, QC
Bronze Pompeian Athénienne-Jardinière attributed to Sabatino De Angelis & Fils
The present work was inspired by a Pompeian brazier that was buried in 78 A.D. and excavated later. as ...
Category
1850s Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
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
Antique Bronze Trim, Clock And Urns, 19th Century
Located in MARSEILLE, FR
Clock set composed of 3 pieces, a clock and 2 urns, in bronze with a gold and silver patina, on a black and red marble base.
Inspired by neo-Greek, this set presents numerous refere...
Category
19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Antique Italian Grand Tour Bronze Hunting Putti Sculptures Statues Marble 1850
Located in Portland, OR
A very fine pair of Italian Grand Tour putti bronze statues on Breccia marble bases, circa 1850.
One of the nicest pairs of antique Grand Tour bronze putti we have had in a while, th...
Category
1850s Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Breccia Marble, Bronze
Pair of Porphyry and Yellow Marble Columns, 19th Century
Located in Spencertown, NY
The grand tour porphyry columns with yellow marble Corinthian capitals and bases on black slate and gray Brescia ogee formed squares.
Measures: height: 16” base: 3 1/4” square.
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble, Porphyry
Antique Bronze Etruscan Candelabrum 19th Century
Located in Richmond, London
An exquisitely cast and patinated bronze 'Etruscan' candelabrum in the Grand Tour taste.
France or Italy, mid- to late 19th century.
Why we like it
We love the finest quality of cas...
Category
19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
Mid 19th Century Italian Grand Tour Sculpture
Located in Scottsdale, AZ
Mid 19th Century Italian Grand Tour Sculpture
Unique piece purchased in France. Age appropriate wear, see detailed photos or message us with questions.
Category
19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Silver Plate, Bronze
Antique Italian Green Marble and 'Lava Cameo' Inkstand
Located in London, GB
Antique Italian green marble and 'lava cameo' inkstand
Italian, 19th century
Measures: Height 10cm, diameter 14cm
This charming inkstand is crafted from green marble and gilt metal....
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble, Metal
Diana of Gabii in bronze
Located in 'S-HERTOGENBOSCH, NL
Diana of Gabii in bronze on a basic in marble.
Beautiful patina, Cast by Fumiére & Cie, Paris
Category
1880s French Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Bronze
$1,623
An Italian Grand Tour Porphyry and Sienna Marble Paperweight, late 19th century
Located in Spencertown, NY
The profile of Caesar in profile in high relief.
The yellow marble base with stepped edges.
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble, Porphyry
Bust in the Grand Tour Style of Greek God Dionysus
Located in Memphis, TN
An Exceptional Large grand Tour Style Hellenistic Bust Of Greek God Dionysus. Highly detailed classical bust made of cast marble aka “marble dust.” Replica of Greek classical sculpt...
Category
Mid-20th Century European Grand Tour Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble
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.