Description: A bronze and marble Grand Tour souvenir at 5.5" high on a 2" marble base. A Roman ruin depicting the Temple of Vespasian.


History: In the 18th and early 19th century, wealthy young Englishmen embarked to the Continent on lengthy travels, known as the Grand Tour. The voyage could last months or even years, and was ostensibly meant to round out one’s education, which still emphasized a strong knowledge of Classical arts and architecture, languages, history, literature, and philosophy. Many young people also spent their time collecting art and artifacts to prove that they had been on the Grand Tour. Later in the 19th century, the advent of rail and steamship travel allowed more middle-class adventurers to continue the tradition of the Grand Tour. Following a specific itinerary that primarily included stops in Italy and France, Grand Tourists visited archeological excavations in the hope of witnessing the exhuming of pottery or sculptural artifacts. As the number of Grand Tourists grew, so did the demand for ancient artifacts to be taken home as souvenirs. Italian craftspeople saw this as an opportunity for new business, and a cottage industry emerged providing “objet d’art†celebrating the Classical world. Micromosaic-inlaid Paperweights (Lots 251-258) Micromosaic-inlaid Paperweights (Lots 251-258) Grand Tourists could buy souvenir buildings or ruins in bronze, alabaster, and marble as keepsakes of what they had just seen, such as in the Roman Forum. Artisans even went so far as to fire Classical-style pottery with encrustations to simulate the mud found on excavated antique examples.

Provenance: FL Estate


Dimensions: Weight (Pounds & Ounces) = 1 | Height(in) = 8 | Width(in) = 4 | Depth(in) = 4

Size of Artwork(in): 5.5 x 2 x 2"


Artist Name: Italian


Medium: Bronze, marble.


Circa: Circa 1890

Good condition. Minor chipping on corners of base.