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Grand Tour Furniture

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 micromosaicssmall 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.

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Item type: Antique and Vintage
Style: Grand Tour
Gilt Grand Tour Plaster Intaglio with Bust of a Woman, 19th Century
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
A 19th-century Intaglio Tassie - A seal with the bust of a woman holding an olive branch. Thick gilt paper wrapped around the edge mimicking a frame. There are a few tiny faults in t...
Category

19th Century English Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Plaster

Diminutive Grand Tour Bronze 'Balancing Faun' on Marble Pedestal
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Diminutive Grand Tour bronze 'Balancing Faun' on marble pedestal Italy, The sculpture circa 1890, the marble pedestal later addition 20th C A small well executed bronze sculpture...
Category

Late 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Marble, Bronze

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 Furniture

Materials

Statuary Marble

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 Furniture

Materials

Marble

Antique Lover's Folio, Italian Walnut, Decorative, Grand Tour, Sleeve, Victorian
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique lover's folio. An Italian, walnut and fruitwood decorative Grand Tour sleeve, dating to the late Victorian period, circa 1900. Deli...
Category

Late 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Walnut

Neoclassical Style Bronze Candlesticks with Lion Heads, a Pair
Located in Elkhart, IN
A pair of Grand Tour Neoclassical style bronze candlesticks with lion heads and swags. The candle cups are removable.  
Category

Late 19th Century Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Bronze

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 Furniture

Materials

Siena Marble, 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 Furniture

Materials

Bronze

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 Furniture

Materials

Bronze

19th Century Grand Tour Micro Mosaic Tablet Depicting Italian Architecture
Located in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
A fine mid-19th century serpentine grand tour micro mosaic tablet or paperweight of the iconic St Peter's Vatican, The Colosseum of Rome, The Pantheon, The Ruins of The Roman Forum a...
Category

Early 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Belgian Black Marble

Pair Of Italian Grand Tour Marble Obelisks
Located in Essex, MA
Typical form with different marbles.
Category

19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Marble

Grand Tour Bronze Thermometer of the Luxor Obelisk, Paris
Located in Stamford, CT
A bronze cast of the Luxor Obelsik, one side a thermometer. This was a popular Grad Tour souvenir in the late 19th century. Mounted on a polished black slate base. 8.5 inches high by 3.5 by 3.5 The Luxor Obelisk...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Vintage Italian Carrara Marble Sculpture of David
By Michelangelo
Located in Houston, TX
Stunning vintage Italian carved carrara marble sculpture or statue of David. Offered is a good sized well executed marble figure of David as a youth, copied from the original by Mic...
Category

1940s Italian Vintage Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Carrara Marble

19th Century French Painted Tole Covered Urn Pair
Located in Savannah, GA
This very handsome pair of French toleware lidded urns, in a deep red color with gold gilt accents, feature lion head handles on either side and artichoke finials atop the lids. Each...
Category

1860s French Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Metal

Late 19th Century Romantic Still Life of Flowers & Fruit, Grand Tour Period
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
Romantic still life of flowers and fruit from the late Victorian Grand Tour Period. Although unsigned, this oil on original canvas has two intriguing "R" insignias, on the gold chate...
Category

Late 19th Century Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Paint

Selection of Specimen Marble and Stone Spheres
Located in London, London
Specimen marble spheres Different stones Sizes are 15cm, 13cm, 10cm and 8cm diameter Age unknown
Category

20th Century Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Marble

Fine Pair of French Gilt & Patinated Bronze Ormolu 3 Light Candelabra
Located in London, GB
A pair of grand tour two tone bronze Cherub candelabra, French, Circa 19th century, The three branches each with detachable drip-pans. Circa 1880 and measuring 19 inches ( 49.5 cms) ...
Category

1880s French Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Framed Set of Eleven Micromosaic Plaques of Italian Monuments
Located in London, GB
A framed set of eleven micromosaic plaques of Italian monuments Italian, 19th century Measures: Height 22cm, width 21.5cm, depth 2.5cm Made du...
Category

19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Giltwood

Antique Pair French Porcelain Ormolu Dore Bronze Electric Urns Vases Table Lamps
Located in Dublin, Ireland
An exceptionally fine pair of heavy gauge French Glazed Porcelain oil lamps of impressive proportions, with ornate Ormolu bases now converted to electric table lamps, of good size proportions, mid to early nineteenth century. The main Cobalt blue outer bodies of bulbous form in glazed porcelain each with a lavish cast ormolu wide decorative band below a beaded edge and twin art nouveau...
Category

19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Bronze, Ormolu

Pair of Grand Tour 19th Century Bronze Putti Figures on Marble Bases, C 1860
Located in Central England, GB
This small pair of fine Italian Grand Tour bronze figures are of classical putti naked apart from a belt of vine leaves and grapes around their lower torso...
Category

1860s Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Antique Sienna Cream Marble Grand Tour Classical Bust of Lady Figure
Located in Dublin, Ireland
A very fine quality carved white marble bust of a Grand Tour classical maiden, with down cast head and exotic head dress, late nineteenth century This exceptional piece rests on ...
Category

19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Marble, Bronze, Ormolu

Rare Grand Tour Bronze Bust of Cicero After Massimiliano Soldani Benzi
Located in Montreal, QC
Rare grand Tour Patinated bronze bust of Cicero After Massimiliano Soldani Benzi. The original is in the collection of Liechtenstein Museum in Vienna. P...
Category

1850s Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Vintage Boho Grand Tour Relief Pedestal
Located in west palm beach, FL
A really fabulous vintage case concrete table pedestal. A beautiful relief with a Grand Tour design. A parade of characters in various costume. Acquired from a Palm Beach estate.
Category

Mid-20th Century North American Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Concrete

Pair of 1820s Italian Touring Sterling Silver Candelabras
Located in North Miami, FL
Exquisite Pair of 1820s Italian Touring (Grand Tour) Sterling Silver Candelabras Crafted by skilled artisans, these magnificent candelabras hailing from 1820s Italy are a testament ...
Category

Early 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Sterling Silver

Antique Grand Tour Bronze Sculpture of the Crouching Venus after Giambologna
By Giambologna
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A very fine Grand Tour bronze sculpture. Modeled after the 'Crouching Venus' by Giambologna. Depicting Venus surprised at her bath with an overturned urn at her feet. Mounted o...
Category

19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Italian Grand Tour Style Patinated Bronze Lamp
Located in Bradenton, FL
An Italian Grand Tour style patinated metal vessel now mounted as an ancient looking lamp. Paw feet supporting three columns with lion head tops with rings in their mouths. The cente...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Grand Tour Marble Columns, a Pair
Located in Dallas, TX
Provenance David J. Bikoff collection, Italy circa 1870 Made with different marbles.
Category

1870s Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Marble

19th C Grand Tour Roman Style Iron Gorget on Stand
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
19th c Grand Tour Roman style iron gorget on stand Decorated with a intense battle scene with Imperial Roman soldiers fighting native warriors, with tw...
Category

Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Iron, Wrought Iron

Antique Grand Tour Ormolu Desk Inkwell Centerpiece Elkington Silversmiths 19thC
Located in Dublin, Ireland
An exceptionally fine quality example of an English Ormolu Grand Tour circular desk single Inkwell of generous size, made by renown Silversmiths Elkington & Co. Mid Nineteenth Century The large circular outline superbly decorated with castings of Neoclassical images depicting Male Nudes within circles flanked by winged Sphinx, the central hinged lid with similar decoration. Condition: Good condition with nice patination, professionally re-gold plated. Lacking ink liner, no losses anywhere. Base marks as shown. Measures: Diameter: (entire as shown) 7.75" (19.5cm). Location: Dublin City, Ireland. Affordable fixed charge Worldwide Store to door shipping. Note: The originators of silver-plating were George Richards Elkington and Henry Elkington who began their research in times of the Industrial Revolution. By the 1830's they had patented their processes and 1840 saw the technique of electro-plating brought to perfection. John Culme, in his Directory of Gold and Silversmiths, said that "Elkington Electroplate was soon accepted with the result that the firm allowed a number of manufacturers to use the technique under licence. Among the earliest granted were those of Christofle & Cie of France". The firm has a worldwide reputation for hand-crafted excellence. Today, the firm is busy making bowls, jugs, trays, candlesticks, ornaments and trophies for international sporting events as well as cutlery pieces. Royal Endorsements & Warrants In 1868, Queen Victoria permitted much of the royal plate...
Category

19th Century English Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Bronze, Ormolu

Antique Grand Tour Mahogany Brass Inlaid Desk Set Inkstand English Regency 19Ct
Located in Dublin, Ireland
Stunning and Rare Example of an English Grand Tour Regency period brass inlaid Mahogany Inkstand of rectangular outline and generous proportions. First quarter of the Nineteenth Cent...
Category

19th Century English Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Brass

Grand Tour Ancient Egyptian Style Alabaster Storage Jar
Located in Stamford, CT
19th century hand carved alabaster storage jar in the ancient Egyptian Late Dynastic style, with tapering neck topped by a wide everted rim. Great evocative decorative piece for the ...
Category

Late 19th Century Egyptian Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Alabaster

Pair of Grand Tour 'Néo-Grec' Gilt Bronze Vases, Attributed, F. Barbedienne
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Pair of Grand Tour 'Néo-Grec' gilt bronze vases, Attributed, F. Barbedienne Each one with typical all over decoration, with applied handles with lion masks. Unmarked. Each vase sta...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Vintage Grand Tour Plaster Bust of Man - a Pair
Located in west palm beach, FL
A fabulous pair of vintage plaster busts. A handsome man with an even more handsome beard. Done in the grand tour style. Painted a bright white. A...
Category

Mid-20th Century Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Plaster, Paint

Hope Wall Plaque
Located in Sturminster Marshall, Dorset
A carved wood wall plaque based on a design by Thomas Hope. Bespoke sizing, design adaptations and finishing available. We are currently working to a...
Category

18th Century British Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Gold Leaf

Italian Silver Gilt Grand Tour Pompeian Classical Piping Faun Bell
Located in New York, NY
Italian silver gilt grand-tour bell, ca 1920. Figural handle in form of piping faun with puffed out cheeks and hoofed and hirsute hindquarters. Based on Greek statuette excavated in ...
Category

Early 20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Silver

Grand Tour Columns, a Pair
Located in Tampa, FL
A pair of 1800s specimen marble grand tour columns.
Category

Early 1800s Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Marble

Italian 19th Century Grand Tour Period Bronze Statue of the Borghese Gladiator
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
An impressive and high quality Italian 19th century Grand Tour Period patinated bronze statue of the Borghese Gladiator. The statue is raised by a rectangular base where the handsome...
Category

19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Italian Patinated Bronze Group Sculpture of Laocoon and His Sons, C. 1870
Located in New York, NY
An Italian grand tour patinated bronze group sculpture of Laocoon and his sons, After the antique by Agesander of Rhodes, C. 1870 Very nice qua...
Category

19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Antique Grand Tour Alabaster Statue of Diana di Gabii
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
An antique Grand Tour alabaster statue of Diana di Gabbi, after the antique. Dating to circa 1890, this expertly hand-carved sculpture is in excellent ...
Category

Late 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Alabaster

Silver Bust of Menelaus King of Sparta Grand Tour
Located in Rochester, NY
19th century silver plate bust Menelaus mythological king of Sparta. A fine casting with rich patina. Ebonized wood base. Illegible hallmark. In Greek mythology, Menelaus was a king ...
Category

19th Century European Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Silver Plate

Pair of 19th Century Italian Grand Tour Tazzas on Sienna Marble Bases
Located in Stockholm, SE
A pair of early 19th century Italian Grand Tour patinated bronze and sienna marble tazzas. A very nice and large pair of an unusual model having no side handles or side fixture decor...
Category

1820s Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Large Italian Style Patinated Bronze Lamp
Located in Bradenton, FL
Large Italian style patinated metal vessel now mounted as an ancient looking lamp. Paw feet supporting three columns with lion head tops with rings in their mouths. The center in the...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Stunning Grand Tour, Temple Ruin Design, Hand Carved Nutwood Table Picture Frame
Located in Lisse, NL
Amazingly hand-carved photo or picture frame with a top quality, original drawing of a girl. If ever there was an antique work of art 'with a soul' then this unique and all origin...
Category

19th Century European Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Nutwood, Paper, Velvet, Glass

Antique Grand Tour 'King Charles Spaniel' Micro Mosaic Plaque, Italy, C.1850
Located in Chatham, ON
Antique Grand Tour 'King Charles Cavalier Spaniel' micro mosaic plaque - hand made to the finest quality with great detail - may be framed or mount...
Category

Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Glass

Bronze Sculpture of the Venus de Milo by F. Barbedienne
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
This cast bronze sculpture of the Venus de Milo dates to the 1860s-1880s and was cast by the F. Barbedinne foundry in Paris started in 1838 by Ferdinand Barbedienne and Achille Colla...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Bronze

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 Furniture

Materials

Marble

Italian Grand Tour Pietra Dura Oval Table Top on Cast Iron Base
Located in Kenilworth, IL
Traditional oval Pietra Dura table top of black marble inlaid with naturally colored stone creating a bouquet of yellow roses with a white oriental li...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Stone, Marble, Iron

Large Grand Tour Sculpture Bronze Greco-Roman Uffizi Wrestlers Barbedienne
Located in Rochester, NY
Grand tour circa 1860s bronze of the Wrestlers. Rich fine dark brown patina. Marked "F. Barbedienne Fondeur." The Wrestlers also known as The Two Wrestlers, The Uffizi Wrestlers...
Category

Mid-19th Century Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Metal, Bronze

19th Century French Egyptian Revival Slate and Gilt Obelisk
Located in Stamford, CT
19th century Grand Tour Egyptian Revival carved and polished black slate obelisk, the front decorated with very fine incised hieroglyphic designs which have been accented with gold l...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Slate

19th Century Italian Grand Tour Gouache Painting
Located in Bradenton, FL
Neapolitan School, 19th century grand tour landscapes gouache painting on canvas. Mounted in fine period gold gilt frame.
Category

19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Paint

19th Century Antimony Charcoal Holder
Located in Catania, Sicilia
19th Century charcoal holder in antimony, Finely decorated. Period '800. Object not easy to find, used in noble homes in Sicily to heat the bedrooms.
Category

Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Metal

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 Furniture

Materials

Bronze

1830 Watercolor and Gouache Painted Vignettes of Eastern Entertainers
Located in Savannah, GA
The caption of this charming pen and ink, watercolor and gouache vignette reads "A troupe of Eastern Entertainers taken from diary of G. Copeland 1830." Perhaps a rememberance from...
Category

1830s English Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Silk, Glass, Paint, Paper

Grand Tour Bronze Model of the "Warwick Vase" on Pedestal
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Grand Tour bronze model of the "Warwick Vase" on pedestal, complete with a 7" diameter x 6" deep removable liner. Beautiful rich original patin...
Category

Mid-19th Century European Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Highly Decorative 18th Century Cold Painted Solid Bronze Atlas Figure &Cherubs
Located in Palma de mallorca, IB
Highly decorative 18th century set of three cold-painted and Solid Cast Bronze Figurines on black veined Marble stands Representing Atlas typically carrying the globe on his back and flanked here by two winged cherub figures blowing trumpets reminiscent of the last judgement...
Category

18th Century Dutch Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Bronze

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 raised by a square stepped ba...
Category

19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Porphyry

19th Century Grand Tour Bronze Statue of Narcissus
Located in Brighton, Sussex
A very good quality Grand Tour patinated bronze figure of Narcissus, dating from the last quarter of the 19th century. Narcissus was a hunter in Greek mythology and he was distinguished for his beauty. This well patinated bronze classical figure...
Category

19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Bronze

Mammoth Photograph of Notre Dame
Located in Rochester, NY
Grand tour 19th century photograph of Notre Dame Cathedral, late 19th century. Matted. Unframed.
Category

19th Century Antique Grand Tour Furniture

Materials

Paper

Grand Tour furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Grand Tour furniture 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 furniture created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects, more furniture and collectibles, wall decorations and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, stone and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Grand Tour furniture 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 furniture, popular names associated with this style include Bertrando Di Renzo, Giustiniani, F. Barbedienne Foundry, and Ferdinand Barbedienne. 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 furniture differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $45 and tops out at $365,566 while the average work can sell for $2,501.

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