Grand Tour Furniture
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.
Early 20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century French Grand Tour Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Marble
Mid-20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Glass, Mirror, Wood
Early 20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Marble, Bronze
20th Century French Grand Tour Furniture
Belgian Black Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century European Grand Tour Furniture
Alabaster
Early 20th Century French Grand Tour Furniture
Plaster
Mid-20th Century Swedish Grand Tour Furniture
Hardwood
1920s French Vintage Grand Tour Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century European Grand Tour Furniture
Marble, Carrara Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Alabaster
Mid-20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Giltwood
1980s Italian Vintage Grand Tour Furniture
Travertine
20th Century Grand Tour Furniture
Bronze
1970s Italian Vintage Grand Tour Furniture
Onyx
Mid-20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Alabaster
Mid-20th Century American Grand Tour Furniture
Canvas, Wood, Paint
Mid-20th Century English Grand Tour Furniture
Ceramic
1990s British Grand Tour Furniture
Resin, Fiberglass
Early 20th Century Grand Tour Furniture
Bronze
1920s Italian Vintage Grand Tour Furniture
Bronze
Early 20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Giltwood
Early 20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Iron
Mid-20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Paint, Giltwood, Canvas
Mid-20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Canvas, Giltwood, Paint
Mid-20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Marble
Mid-20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Marble
Late 20th Century American Grand Tour Furniture
Plaster
Early 20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Bronze
1920s Vintage Grand Tour Furniture
Iron
Mid-20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Glass, Mirror, Wood
20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Canvas, Giltwood, Paint
Early 20th Century Grand Tour Furniture
Wood
20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Siena Marble, Marble, Brass
1920s Italian Vintage Grand Tour Furniture
Silver
20th Century Grand Tour Furniture
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Grand Tour Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Early 20th Century French Grand Tour Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Marble, Bronze
Early 1900s Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Gold
Early 20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Plaster
1950s Brazilian Vintage Grand Tour Furniture
Rock Crystal
Late 20th Century Greek Grand Tour Furniture
Plaster
Mid-20th Century Grand Tour Furniture
Marble, Siena Marble, Griotte Marble, Stone, Carrara Marble, Belgian Bla...
Late 20th Century Grand Tour Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Alabaster, Brass
20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Porcelain, Giltwood
Mid-20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Alabaster
Early 1900s Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Marble
Early 1900s Italian Antique Grand Tour Furniture
Paper
1950s Unknown Vintage Grand Tour Furniture
Metal
Late 20th Century Mexican Grand Tour Furniture
Plaster
20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Sterling Silver, Enamel
Early 20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Alabaster, Marble
Early 20th Century French Grand Tour Furniture
Iron
Early 20th Century Italian Grand Tour Furniture
Quartz, Marble