Pair of Grand Tour Red Porphyry Specimen Column Fragments

A large Grand Tour specimen marble column plinth, in green serpentine and Carrara marble on a gilt-bronze (ormolu) base. Italy, 19th century. Why we like it: Its impressive scale a...

Two exquisite and rare etchings of ancient sculptures by Pierre Bouillon (1776-1831), from his book Musée des antiques, published in Paris between 1811-1827. The two plates, titled P...

A decorative pair of Grand Tour bronze-patinated urns of ancient Greek 'volute krater' form,  Italy, 19th century. Why we like them We love the decorative look of these urns, evoking the Grand Tour travels of the 19th century. Perfect for lamp conversion. Design This shape was introduced in the late 6th century B.C. and was favoured by significant artists who worked in terracotta and in bronze. The earliest example in bronze belongs to the late 5th century B.C. and was found in a tomb in Agrigento. A characteristic of volute-krater handles is the fine articulation of the volute itself and of the lower terminals where they rested on the shoulder of the vase. Here, as in most metal examples, they assume the form of swans' heads. A pair of handles of this design is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Chiurazzi, De Angelis and Sommer where the main Neapolitan foundries that catered for the needs and tastes of the grand-tourists throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. They produced a wide range of fine quality objects, often using the museum casts...

An extremely rare, exquisite Grand Tour-inspired architectural model of a Corinthian column England, third quarter of 18th century. Why we like it Exquisitely carved and having acce...

An extremely rare, exquisite architectural model of a Doric column England, third quarter of 18th century. Why we like it Exquisitely carved and having accents picked out in gold, this extremely rare survivor from the golden era of Classical architecture in Britain was perhaps intended for an architect's office, or for a study of a gentleman architect, such as Lord Burlington (1694–1753), who was famously known as the "Apollo of the Arts" and the "Architect Earl". Such exquisite and decorative objects were copied from ancient Greek and Roman originals, that aspiring architects could see and draw during their 'Grand Tour' in Italy, Greece, Ottoman Empire and etc. The only other comparable example of such rare objects that we came across was a set of three columns, previously owned by the late Sir Albert Richardson (1880–1964), architect, historian, writer, artist, teacher and sometime President of the Royal Academy –  sold by Christie’s London, 19 September...

Two exquisite and rare etchings of ancient sculptures by Pierre Bouillon (1776-1831), from his book Musée des antiques, published in Paris between 1811-1827. The two plates, titled G...

Italian Grand Tour marble specimen plaque in original silver-giltwood frame consisting of 20 different rare and ancient marbles, including Porphyry and Jasper, inlaid into a black an...

A pair of late 19th century Grand Tour Obelisks. The mouldings in Carara, the plint in Sienna, the plaque in Lapis Lazuli and the obelisks themselves in onyx.

We are delighted to offer for auction this stunning antique circa 1860 Grand Tour bronze statue of Place Vendome Column with Napoleon on top in so...

The pair of obelisks with gilt lion faces on front base and gilt lion paws at corners, signed indistinctly. Rome dated 1893.

Pair of pyramids of grand tour, Italy 1830. Coppia di piramidi da Grand Tour per una Wunderkammer, realizzate in legno ebanizzato, rivestito in marmi e pietre dure. Le apparecchiatu...

A nice quality continental Grand Tour brass figure of Napoleon Bonaparte standing on a column and dating from the 19th century. Made from solid brass the renowned French Military Lea...