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 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.
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Style: Grand Tour
Pair French 19th Century Grand Tour Patinated Bronze Dogs on Green Marble Bases
Located in New York, NY
A Beautiful Pair of Italian 19th Century Grand Tour Patinated Bronze Dogs on Green Marble Bases. Each dog is beautifully cast, hand-chassed, and hand-chiseled. They are life-like in ...
Category
19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Pair of Portoro Marble and Bronze Obelisks "Gold Lion", Limited Edition, 2018
Located in Rome, IT
Pair of Italian portoro marble and bronze obelisks, gold lion -Grand Tour collection-
produced by Lorenzo Ciompi, 2017 designed, produced and executed directly in exclusivity for Co...
Category
2010s Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Nero Specimen Marble Top
Located in Sturminster Marshall, Dorset
The Nero.
A rectangular specimen marble inlaid top with geometric panels enclosed by a linked inlaid geometric panelled border. Priced as shown and to the given dimensions. Can be...
Category
2010s English Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Marble
$8,345 / item
Antique Grand Tour Style French Ormolu Bronze Dore Cherub Putti Candlestick 19Ct
Located in Dublin, Ireland
Absolutely stunning French chisel cast Patinated Bronze Classical standing scantily clad Cherub. Mid to late Nineteenth Century.
Holding aloft a single ormolu candlestick holder, ...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Brass, Bronze, Ormolu
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 Furniture
Materials
Marble, Ormolu
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 Furniture
Materials
Marble
Two Ancient Greek Carved Marble Plaques
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
A pair of interesting ancient Greek style statuary marble relics or wall plaques, depicting a serpent and dove in relief.
Thought to be of Greek or Italian origin, these antique wall plaques have an ancient look and feel, with wear and discolouration that offers a glimpse into their history. Perhaps they were once collector’s items, architectural fragments discovered by a traveller on their grand tour throughout Europe in the 18th to 19th century…
We have conservatively estimated the date to circa 1800, these antique marble wall plaques...
Category
Early 19th Century Greek Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Marble, Statuary Marble
Decorative 19th century book shaped inlaid olive box
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
19th century book shaped inlaid olive box circa 1890.
Unusual Italian keep sake box made in olive wood. Inlaid top surface with musical instrument, flowers and a faux peeled back c...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Olive
Antique Chased Silver Snuff Box Set with Fine Italian Micromosaic Plaque
Located in London, GB
The small rectangular silver snuff box, chased with foliage decorations and featuring a hinged back, is set with a detailed micromosaic plaque on top. The plaque depicts a rural land...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Stone, Silver
Ajax, bust in bronze
Located in 'S-HERTOGENBOSCH, NL
Grand Tour bronze of the god Ajax from Greek mythology.
Very detailed with a beautiful patina.
Category
1860s Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Bronze
$2,668
Grand Tour Pencil Drawing "Remains of the Parthenon" Fine Carved Frame
Located in Atlanta, GA
Charles Lamson Swasey (American New Bedford Massachusetts, 1815-1888).
This wonderful grand tour graphite on paper drawing was done in December 1839 and depicts the remains of the ...
Category
19th Century American Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Wood, Paper
$1,036 Sale Price
20% Off
Antonius Specimen Marble Top
Located in Sturminster Marshall, Dorset
A circular specimen marble inlaid top with inlaid radiating centre and geometric designed outer border. Priced as size quoted below but can be made and quoted for separately to your ...
Category
2010s English Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Marble
$5,616 / item
Superb Quality Antique Micro-Mosaic Grand Tour Souvenir of a Visit to Rome
Located in Montreal, QC
Superb quality antique micro-mosaic Grand Tour Souvenir of a visit to Rome. set with seven panels, vignettes of Roman views in a shaped slate tablet. and in original frame. Part of a...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Marble, Slate
19th Century Italian Micro-Mosaic Grand Tour Table Attributed to Roccheggiani
By Cesare Roccheggiani
Located in London, GB
A rare grand tour table
Possibly by Cesare Roccheggiani
The circular platform of marmore nero, inset with fine micromosaic panels consisting of thousands of coloured glass tesserae; a central roundel depicting The Vatican from St Peter's Square within a malachite border, surrounded by a border including four cartouches in polychrome reserves of Roman views including the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, with the remnants of the Temple of Vespasian; the Temple of Vesta, and the Pantheon, all interspersed and linked by voluminous bouquets of fruit and flowers representing the 4 seasons; the outer stylised border inlaid with deep blue tesserae evocative of exotic Lapis Lazuli. Supported on a finely carved Italian giltwood base, its design incorporating baskets of fruit and floral garlands echoing the 4 seasons theme of the table.
Italian, Circa 1875
Other table tops inspired by this design, although not as finely executed, can be found in several Russian collections (which house the greatest micromosaics) including Vorontsov Palace, Muranovo House, as well as the imperial State Hermitage Museum. A tabletop with profuse floral micromosaic work was commissioned by the Belgian Royal family (sold Sotheby's, 2003).
The floral garlands, the magnificent quality of the inlay and the use of distinct curved tesserae support the present attribution to Cesare Roccheggiani. According to Jeanette Hanisee Gabriel, the world expert on micro mosaics, curved tesserae pieces were used in foliage, grass and animal fur by only the very best mosaicists such as Roccheggiani. Evidence of curved pieces, for instance, is observed in the foreground of the Temple of Vesta cartouche, to name but one observation of the master's hand.
The scion of a dynasty of mosaicists, Roccheggiani was perhaps the most successful mosaicist in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. He is doubtless 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. Nicolo Roccheggiani, possibly Lorenzo's son, was also a principle artist at the Vatican, involved in executing the famous tabletop Achilles Shield...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Malachite, Marble, Belgian Black Marble
19th Century Marble Bust of Antinous
Located in Dublin 8, IE
19th Century Marble Bust of Antinous after the original known as the 'Antinous Vaticano' discovered at Hadrian's Villa. Featuring realistic detail to hair and handsome facial features...
Category
19th Century European Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Marble
19th Century Micromosaic Table Top with Views of Rome from the Grand Tour
Located in London, GB
A grand tour circular table top
Possibly by Domenico Moglia
The circular platform of marmore nero, inset with fine micromosaic panels consisting of hundreds of coloured glass tesserae; a central flower bouquet sit within a malachite border surrounded by a border including four cartouches in conforming malachite reserves representing Roman views including the Arch of Titus, the Temple of Vesta, the Capitoline Hill, and the Tomb of Cecilia Metella, connected by floral garlands.
Italy, circa 1855
Domenico Moglia (1780 - 1862)
Brothers, Luigi and Domenico Moglia, are celebrated as two of the few great mosaicists of the 19th century. Both are recorded as exhibiting at the 1851 Great Exhibition, London. Domenico's work included micromosaics plaques depicting views of 'the roman forum', 'the colosseum', and the 'temples of Paestum.'
The Lombardi Museum contains a collection of architectural...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Malachite, Marble
Antique Victorian Marble Roman Ruins Grand Tour Statue Sculpture Columns Pillars
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
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...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Marble
$2,927 Sale Price
25% Off
19th Century Original Painting, Ruins in the Roman Forum
Located in Scottsdale, AZ
19th Century (mid) Ruins in the Roman Forum. Beautiful oil painting on canvas. See detailed photos. Contact us for more information.
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Canvas, Paint
Important Pair of Georgian Period Vases on Bronze-Mounted Mahogany Pedestals
Located in London, GB
An Important Pair of Late Georgian Period
Patinated Bronze Mounted Torchères
An exceptional pair of flamed mahogany torchères standing over 6 feet tall, with extensive patinated bro...
Category
19th Century English Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Bronze
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 Furniture
Materials
Plaster
Antique Italian Statuary Marble Sculpture of Dancing Faun
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
An antique Italian white statuary marble sculpture of a dancing faun.
Dating to circa 1870, this Neoclassical piece has stood the test of time with various expertly handcarved eleme...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Marble, Statuary Marble
Orange-Brown Banded Jasper Point
Located in New York, NY
Unusual orange and brown banded jasper point from Madagascar.
Category
2010s Malagasy Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Stone
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
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
Pair of Large Grand Tour Style Faux Porphyry and Gilt Bronze Obelisks
Located in New York, NY
A Pair of Spectacular and very Large Grand Tour Style gilt bronze mounted faux Porphyry obelisks. Each very large faux Porphyry Obelisk is of square section tapering form with a shar...
Category
20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Antique Grand Tour Style Alabaster Bust of Greek God
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
An antique Grand Tour style alabaster bust of a classical Grecian figure.
Dating to the late 19th century, the hand carved figure thought to be Chronos, Greek God of Time, is compli...
Category
Late 19th Century English Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Alabaster
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
$2,298 / item
After la Bottega Del Mosaico Vaticano marble and micromosaic table, Italy.
Located in Nice, Cote d' Azur
After « la Bottega Del Mosaico Vaticano », Marble tabletop decorated in the center with a mosaic of concentric friezes featuring plant and geometric motifs. The central medallion, m...
Category
1880s Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Marble
A Near Pair of Venetian 19th Century Blue Lapis Lazuli and Marble Obelisks
Located in London, GB
A Near Pair of Lapis Lazuli Obelisks
Veneered with the rare and semi-precious deep blue lapis admired for its intense colour, each obelisk with Carrara marble bases and moulding.
Pr...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Lapis Lazuli, Carrara Marble
Grand Tour Souviner / Patinated Bronze Sculpture of Sophocles 'Greek Tragedian'
Located in Dallas, TX
Grand Tour Souviner / patinated bronze sculpture of Greek Tragedian (playwright) Sophocles (479 BC-406 BC).
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Grand Tour Bust of Julius Caesar, 19th Century
Located in London, by appointment only
19th Century Grand Tour statuary marble portrait bust of Julius Caesar 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC
Bust of Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar was a...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Marble
Italian Antique 19th Century Scagliola Circular Table Top
Located in London, GB
An Italian antique 19th century scagliola circular table top
Italian, 19th century
Measures: Height 1.5cm, diameter 90cm
This superb piec...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Scagliola
Attributed to Benedetto Boschetti, A superb Giallo Antico Tazza, circa 1820-1830
Located in Nice, Cote d' Azur
Attributed to Benedetto Boschetti, circa 1820-30.
A superb Giallo Antico Tazza. The bowl, of square section, features an everted rim adorned with a finely carved egg-and-dart motif,...
Category
1830s Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture
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 Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Pair of Antique French Porcelain Cherub Sculptures
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
A fine pair of antique French porcelain cherub sculptures attributed to E. Quinter.
Likely created in the Société Céramique de Charenton workshop, n...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Porcelain
1970s Arthur Court Forged Aluminum Chargers, Set of 12
By Arthur Court
Located in Miami, FL
Offered is a set of twelve forged aluminum chargers / underplates / chop plates embellished with elephants on each of the four corners designed by Arthur Court in the mid to late 197...
Category
1970s Unknown Vintage Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
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 Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Pair of Italian Candlesticks, Grand Tour, Early 19th Century
Located in Stockholm, SE
A large pair of candlesticks made of cast bronze and marble. Impressive design.
Category
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Marble, Bronze
$2,989 Sale Price / set
30% Off
Monumental Allegorical Marble Sculpture, Grand Tour (late 19th / Early 20th C.)
Located in Bilzen, BE
"Monumental Allegorical Marble Sculpture, Grand Tour (late 19th / Early 20th Century)"
This finely carved solid white marble architectural model depicts an allegorical narrative in h...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Marble
18th Century Naples Porcelain Grand Tour Topographical Tureen
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
18th Century Naples Porcelain Grand Tour Topographical Tureen
A rare and exceptional 18th-century Neapolitan porcelain covered tureen, likely from the Real Fabbrica Ferdinandea, unm...
Category
18th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Porcelain
A Fine Pair of Early 20th Century Silver Plated Townley Vases, Circa 1920
Located in Ottawa, Ontario
A fine pair of early 20th century silver plated Townley Vases, after the antique.
Both vases of ovoid form with volute handles, decorated overall with a Bacchanalian themed bas-relie...
Category
Early 20th Century English Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Silver Plate
Pair of Grand Tour Style Carved Alabaster Bookends Formed as Classical Ruins
Located in Ottawa, Ontario
A very good pair of architectural inspired 'Grand Tour' style columnar alabaster bookends, both carved in the form of fluted columns, raised on stepped bases. Dimensions noted are th...
Category
Mid-20th Century European Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Alabaster
Bronze Grand Tour Sculpture of Seated Hermes After the Antique
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
A late 19th century Italian Grand Tour bronze of the ‘Seated Hermes’ after the antique, raised on a carved dove grey marble base.
Also known as ‘Resting Hermes’ or ‘Seated Mercury’,...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Marble, Metal, Bronze
Antique 18th Century Neoclassical Marble Urn
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
An antique 18th century Neoclassical style marble urn.
Beautifully carved into white statuary marble, this hand-carved urn is an excellent sculpture, featuring a detailed drape and ...
Category
Early 19th Century English Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Marble, Statuary Marble
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 Furniture
Materials
Marble, Metal
Large Carved Giallo Antico Grand Tour Model of the Temple of Castor and Pollux
Located in London, GB
An unusually large carved Giallo Antico grand tour model of the temple of Caster and Pollux of impressive scale the fragmented architrave and cornice in the Corinthian order...
Category
Mid-19th Century Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Marble
A Large Vintage Pair of Grand Tour Style Marble Inlaid Obelisks, 1970
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Large Vintage Pair of Grand Tour Style Marble Inlaid Obelisks, 1970
Standing 52" tall, these pair of obelisks are in excellent condition.
Category
1970s Italian Vintage Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Marble
Italian Grand Tour Red Marble Model of Trajan’s Column
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
An Italian Grand Tour rosso antico red marble model of Trajan’s Column, circa 1840.
Once a Grand Tour souvenir acquired by an adventurer exploring Europe, this decorative model colu...
Category
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Italian 19th C. Grand Tour Terracotta of a "Fauno Danzante Con Cimbali" ca. 1860
Located in CH
Italian 19th Century Grand Tour Terracotta of a "Fauno Danzante con Cimbali" Circa 1860
The statue depicts a satyr dancing and playing; in his right hand he holds the rattlesnakes...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Terracotta
Monumental Neoclassical Grand Tour Ormolu Mounted Marble Obelisks on Pedestals
Located in Elkhart, IN
A stunning pair of monumental neoclassical or Grand Tour style solid marble pink, gray, brown, and black obelisks on solid marble pedestals.
Italy, Cir...
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Marble
Large 19th Century Grand Tour Venus de Milo Marble Column
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Large 19th-century Grand Tour Venus de Milo Marble Column
France, circa 1880
A magnificent 19th-century Grand Tour Venus de Milo marble column from...
Category
19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Marble, Bronze
$3,600 Sale Price
20% Off
Vintage Boho Ceramic Bust of Marcus Aurelius
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Evoking the timeless allure of a Grand Tour souvenir, this handsome vintage bust captures the noble spirit of classical Roman sculpture. Meticulously cast in plaster or a fine cerami...
Category
Late 20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Plaster, Wood
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
A Pair of 18th C. Italian Grand Tour Busts of Emperors Domitian and Nerva
Located in New York, NY
A Pair of Grand Tour Period 18th C. Italian Roman Busts of Emperors Domitian and Nerva. These busts depict the Roman Emperors Domitian and Nerva, and demonstrate finely cast and han...
Category
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Marble, Bronze
$10,360 Sale Price
20% Off
19th Century Hand Carved Alabaster Goblets with Dionysus Head
Located in New York, NY
Grand Tour hand carved alabaster vase in goblet form with Dionysus head on one side. Elegant decorative and well crafter delicate piece, circa 1850s.
Property from esteemed interi...
Category
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Alabaster
19th Century Seated Cherub Bronze on Marble Base
Located in Scottsdale, AZ
19th Century Seated Cherub Bronze on Marble Base. Handsome piece for any desk, table or surface. Purchased in France on 15/2024. One leg on chair is broken. Price accordingly. Se...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Furniture
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 Furniture
Materials
Marble, Silver Plate, Bronze
A 19th century bronze figure of a Greek archer by Eugene Barillot C1870
Located in Central England, GB
This fine antique bronze study is by the highly acclaimed sculptor and artist Eugène Barillot (1841–1900).
It depicts an ancient Greek archer testing his bow. The bearded man is nak...
Category
Late 19th Century Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Bronze
Large Specimen Marble Obelisks, Grand Tour Style
Located in El Monte, CA
A superb pair of specimen marble obelisks constructed from a variety of specimen marbles. The highly decorative and large scale pair complements traditional and contemporary interiors.
Category
20th Century Grand Tour Furniture
Materials
Marble
$6,200 / set
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
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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Italian Mid Century Vanity
Irish Carved Furniture
Latin American Furniture
Green Vanity
Imperial Mid
Hand Woven Mat
Large Tassels
Hand Painted Hand Fans