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Grand Tour Side Tables

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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Style: Grand Tour
Italian Grand Tour Muti-Color Marble Accent Table, 1960s
Located in Chicago, IL
This Italian accent table from the 1960s features a captivating round top inlaid with a vibrant mosaic of multi-colored marble tiles. Each piece reflects unique hues, blending into a...
Category

1960s Italian Vintage Grand Tour Side Tables

Materials

Marble, Brass

Grand Tour Model
Located in Sturminster Marshall, Dorset
A fine Grand Tour design copy of the temple of Poseidon. The temple made in carved wood and specialist paint finished. The Temple is fixed to a 19th century wooden base which in turn...
Category

2010s British Grand Tour Side Tables

Materials

Mahogany

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 Side Tables

Materials

Malachite, Marble, Belgian Black Marble

Italian 19th Century Grand Tour Period Bronze and Micro Mosaic Side Table
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A high quality and extremely decorative Italian 19th century Grand Tour period Patinated bronze and micro mosaic side table. The table is is raised by elegant tapered supports ending...
Category

19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Side Tables

Materials

Marble, Bronze

19th Century Italian Pietra Dura Hardstone and Giltwood Table
Located in London, GB
An Italian Pietra Dura top occasional table Constructed in carved gilt wood, having an unusual pietra dura inlaid rectangular platform; the table's legs terminating in scrolls, wi...
Category

19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Side Tables

Materials

Onyx, Marble, Carrara Marble, Porphyry

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1960s Belgian Vintage Grand Tour Side Tables

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Antique Inlaid 19th Century Rosewood Octagonal Centre or Window Table
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1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Marble Brass and Wood Cocktail Coffee Table
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Pair of Monumental Pietra Dura Grand Tour Marble Obelisks, 19th Century
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1960s Italian Faux Bamboo Brass Accent Table
Located in Tarrytown, NY
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1960s Vintage Grand Tour Side Tables

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Located in Westwood, NJ
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Floating Marble Top Accent Table
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H 21.75 in W 14 in D 14 in
Mid-19th Century Italian Side Table
Located in Atlanta, GA
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Mid-19th Century Italian Side Table
Mid-19th Century Italian Side Table
H 32.38 in W 16 in D 19.63 in
Louis XVI Style Mahogany and Marble Top Bouillotte Table, 19th Century
Located in Savannah, GA
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Antique 19th Century Decorated Satinwood and Mahogany Table Occasional
Located in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
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Drexel Heritage Grand Tour French Empire Campaign Style Walnut Side Accent Table
Located in Dayton, OH
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Matched Pair Brass and Alabaster French Greyhound Whippet Side Tables circa 1940
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
These tables are absolutely brilliantly made and feature cast brass extremely well-defined figures of whippets measuring 29 1/2" H x 19" W x 17" D. The tables have translucent alabas...
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1960s French Vintage Grand Tour Side Tables

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Grand Tour Style Polychromed Greek Motif Cabinet on Stand
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Grand Tour style polychromed Greek motif cabinet on stand, with beautiful decoration on all sides. In two parts. Fitted with two 8" x 14" H doors with bras...
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20th Century Grand Tour Side Tables

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A Spectacular Pair of Large Italian Micromosaic Plaques Now Mounted as Tables
Located in San Francisco, CA
A magnificent pair of Italian micromosaic large plaques of the finest quality mounted on bronze and marble bases. One depicting a bucolic river scene with grazing cows, a bridge and ...
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Pair Italian Marble Top Tables with Polychrome Bases
Located in New York, NY
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Marble Inlay Side Table
Located in Hudson, NY
Top is beautifully executed Italian Grand Tour specimen marble married to late 19th century mahogany base center column with bronze mounts and trim.
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1820s Italian Antique Grand Tour Side Tables

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Marble Inlay Side Table
Marble Inlay Side Table
H 25 in Dm 26.75 in
Italian Specimen Marble Table / Grand Tour Souvenir
Located in Dallas, TX
a small table, cast iron decorative base with Grand Tour specimen marble inlaid top, base is faux painted, pedestal with tripod bottom 19th century, top is early and base is late
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19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Side Tables

Grand Tour side tables for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Grand Tour side tables 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 side tables created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include tables, building and garden elements and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with marble, stone and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Grand Tour side tables made in a specific country, there are Europe, Italy, and United Kingdom pieces for sale on 1stDibs. 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 side tables differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $23,572 and tops out at $117,686 while the average work can sell for $73,925.

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