Grand Tour Wall Decorations
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
Large Antique Grand Tour Travel Photography Album by Bosetti, X., L.P. Et Al
Located in New York, NY
Large scale 17 inch by 14 inch 19th century Grand Tour photography album comprised of 92 photographs which include a number of rare images, many of which are signed.
53 photographs...
Category
19th Century European Antique Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Leather, Paper
Italian Marble Profile Plaque of Roman Emperor Ceasar Vespasianus, Late 18th C
Located in North Miami, FL
This finely Late 18th Century (Grand Tour Period) modeled portrait relief plaque of the Roman Emperor Caesar Vespasian (9-79 AD) is carved from...
Category
18th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Marble, Carrara Marble
$10,800 Sale Price
20% Off
Grand Tour
Old Master Drawing of a Seated Male Nude Antique Statue Torso
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
'Grand Tour' old master drawing of a seated male nude antique statue torso
Italy 18th century or older
Drawing (sight): 15" W x 20.75" H; Framed: 25.5" W x 32" H x 2" D.
An exquisite 'Grand Tour' Old Master drawing from Italy, dating back to the 18th century or even earlier. This captivating piece measures 32 inches high by 25.5 inches wide when framed.
This finely executed Grisaille chalk/pencil artwork measures 20.75 inches in height and 15 inches in width within its later neoclassical frame. The drawing skillfully captures the essence of a Roman antique-carved marble male torso...
Category
18th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Glass, Giltwood, Paper
$3,040 Sale Price
20% Off
Antique Grand Tour Italian Capriccio Framed Oil on Board Paintings of a Landscap
Located in Elkhart, IN
A gorgeous pair of Grand Tour or Neoclassical style framed oil paintings of an Italian Capriccio landscape with ruins
Italy, Early Century
Oil on board, gilt frame
Measures:...
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Wood, Giltwood, Paint
Pair of Monumental English Regency Framed Italian 18C Painted Tapestries
Located in Dallas, TX
PRESENTING an EXCEPTIONAL Pair of Monumental English Regency Framed Italian 18C Painted Tapestries/Paintings.
We are of the firm opinion, that these tapestries were made and hand-pa...
Category
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Burlap, Mahogany
$26,000 Sale Price / set
46% Off
Vintage Boho Italian Architectural Original Print
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
This exceptional set of three vintage architectural prints captures the timeless precision of Italian Neoclassical design. Each work presents a detailed scholarly study, ranging from...
Category
Late 20th Century Italian Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Other
Grand Tour Watercolor of Gothic Ruins, Attributed to Charles-Joseph Celle C.1813
Located in Atlanta, GA
A refined Grand Tour sheet recording a romantic Gothic ruin, **dated 1813** and attributed to the French draughtsman **Charles-Joseph Celle**. Executed in pen with grey wash and soft...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Giltwood, Paper
20th Century Grand Tour Style Painted Terracotta Wall Plate
Located in Elkhart, IN
A stunning Grand Tour style hand painted terracotta wall plate featuring a mediterranean scene
Circa mid-20th century
Measures: 9.25"W x .5"D...
Category
Mid-20th Century Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Terracotta
German Glazed Terracotta Monkey Tile by Karlshrue
Located in Houston, TX
German glazed terracotta monkey tile by Karlshrue.
German glazed terra cotta or Majolica monkey tile by Karlshrue, circa 1920. This gorgeous wall art depicts two monkeys on a tree br...
Category
1920s German Vintage Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Terracotta
Fine Late 18th Century Grand Tour Marble Tondo of Athena
Located in Pease pottage, West Sussex
A fine late 18th Century Grand Tour marble tondo of Athena. Italy Circa 1780.
Category
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Marble
Watercolor of St. Paul
s Cathedral in London Sergio Manfredi, Italian
Located in Ottawa, Ontario
Watercolor A view of St. Paul's Cathedral in London- Sergio Manfredi (1932-?) Italian painter, Signed and dated "S. Manfredi 1958" lower left and inscribed "London St. Paul's Cathedr...
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Paper
Grand Tour Pen
Ink Wash Drawing Bearded Patriarch, After the Italian Baroque
Located in Atlanta, GA
A spirited 19th-century Continental pen and ink wash drawing on laid paper, depicting a bearded patriarchal figure, his robes sweeping in dynamic folds as he gestures commandingly to...
Category
19th Century British Antique Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Wood, Paper
Antique Italian Marble Plaque of St. Helena
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
A well-carved, early 20th century antique Italian marble plaque of the elegant St. Helena, after a sandstone relief by 15th century Italian sculptor, Desiderio da Settignano (1429-14...
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Marble
Arch of Septimius Severus in Foro Boario Roman Engraving, c.1700
Located in Savannah, GA
An engraving of the Arch of Septimius Severus in Foro Boario, circa 1700.
sight: 14 ¼ by 13 ¾ inches
frame: 19 ½ by 19 inches
Category
Early 1700s Italian Antique Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Glass, Wood, Paper
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 Wall Decorations
Materials
Silk, Glass, Paint, Paper
$440 Sale Price
42% Off
Camillo de Vito, View from Naples Pier, Gouache, c.1820s
Located in Savannah, GA
Camillo de Vito
(Italian, active 1794-1845)
Veduta del Molo di Napoli (view from the Naples pier), circa 1820s.
A gouache on paper depicting a sailin...
Category
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Glass, Fruitwood, Paint, Paper
Vintage Boho Italian Architectural Pediment Drawings Original Print- Set of 2
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
This sophisticated pair of vintage architectural prints celebrates the timeless precision of Italian Neoclassical design. Each work illustrates a detailed scholarly study of ornate w...
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Faux Bamboo, Paper
Vintage Boho Greek Urn Original Prints - Set of 2
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
These exquisite vintage prints celebrate classical antiquity, meticulously illustrating the iconic pottery of ancient Greece. Each work showcases a distinctive vessel—including tradi...
Category
Late 20th Century American Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Other
Vintage Boho Bust of Man Original Prints - Set of 6
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
This sophisticated set of six vintage prints is a masterful celebration of Neoclassical design and classical antiquity. Each work illustrates a pair of distinguished busts, capturing...
Category
Late 20th Century American Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Other
Vintage Boho Architectural Original Print
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
This exquisite vintage architectural print is a masterful celebration of Neoclassical design, capturing the timeless precision of Italian classical molding studies. Rendered with fin...
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Other
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 Wall Decorations
Materials
Wood, Paper
$1,036 Sale Price
20% Off
French Bronze Mounted Figure Circa 1800 Neoclassical Style
Located in Hudson, NY
Circa 1800 mounted bronze 3/4 profile. Likely French but possibly English. Carved wooden backing custom just for this particular item. In the original frame and retaining an old if n...
Category
Early 1800s French Antique Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Bronze
$2,240 Sale Price
30% Off
Grand Tour Style 20th Century Venetian Canal Oil Painting
Located in Queens, NY
Grand Tour-Style (20th Century) unframed canvas oil painting of a bright, aqua canal crowded with gondolas under passage in front of Doge's Palace with St Mark's Campanile just behind it, and the domes of the Punta della Dogana visible in the distance in the lower left corner. Painting unsigned, noted as coming from a 20th-Century studio that specialized in historic commercial reproduction paintings...
Category
20th Century Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Canvas
Views of Erupting Volcano, Gouache on Paper, late 19th Century
Located in Spencertown, NY
The pair of gouaches with views of a volcanic eruption during the day and the night
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Paper
Henry Salt , Engravings Of Pagoda At Ramisseran , Ruins Of The Port
Located in Essex, MA
These prints are from a series twenty four views taken in the Cape , India,Ceylon , The Red Sea, Abyssinia and Egypt. Salt from England was a watercolorist and studied under Joseph F...
Category
1790s English Antique Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Glass, Giltwood, Burl, Paper
M.L. Monteith, Signed Modern Oil on Panel, Scene from Verdi
s Opera "Othello"
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A dramatic and colorful Oil on Board in a custom Gilt wood frame. Figures on a monumental staircase. Signed lower right, labelled and dedicated on verso. In a fine gilt frame.
Panel ...
Category
20th Century Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Wood
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 Wall Decorations
Materials
Paint
$700 Sale Price
41% Off
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 Wall Decorations
Materials
Marble, Slate
Italian Gouache Depicting a View of Posillipo from Naples, 19th Century
Located in Spencertown, NY
The brightly colored gouache with fine details in foreground.
Category
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Gouache
$7,600 Sale Price
20% Off
Antique 19th century Carved Marble Circular Plaque
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
An antique 19th century carved marble circular plaque depicting a philosopher.
This Italian sculpture is expertly carved in white statuary marble showcasing a Grand Tour style.
A skeleton head...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Marble
Bay of Naples Gouache Seascape with Vesuvius Erupting, 1906
Located in Nantucket, MA
Antique Bay of Naples Gouache Seascape with Vesuvius Erupting, 1906, a fine gouache on paper seascape with the panoramic Bay of Naples stretching wide, wit...
Category
Early 1900s Italian Antique Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Paper
Porcelain
Raphael
Miniature
Grand Tour
Plaque in Carved Gilt Frame
Located in Brisbane, QLD
An exceptional Grand Tour souvenir in the form of a painted miniature copy of Raphael's famed self portrait, rendered on porcelain and framed in an elaborately carved and gilded timb...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Porcelain, Giltwood
18th century Fine Italian Grand Tour gouache of Palladian Villa
Located in Seaford, GB
This fine 18th-century gouache on paper is a quintessential example of Grand Tour artistry, depicting an Italian Palladian villa rendered with architectural precision and classical r...
Category
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Paper
Portrait of an Aristocratic Young Man in a Landscape, circa 1800
Located in London, GB
A contemplative young traveler reclines amid rocky cliffs and distant architecture—his attire and gaze evoking the cultivated introspection of the Grand Tour. The composition recalls...
Category
19th Century Unknown Antique Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Giltwood, Paint
Pair of 19th Century Gouches of Naples
Located in Shipston-On-Stour, GB
An early C19th pair of finely detailed gouaches, depicting unusual scenes of the bays of Naples and Sorrento. In charming light colours and excellent condition. Circa 1820.
H: 45 cm...
Category
1820s Italian Antique Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Paint
Two Bronze Grand Tour Framed Roundels
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
A pair of 19th century bronze Grand Tour framed roundels, one depicting Hercules battling the Nemean Lion and another similar plaque detailed with a classical youth pouring water for...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Porphyry, Metal, Bronze
Pair of Bernard De Montfaucon Paris 1719 L
antiquite Original Grand Tour Prints
By Bernard de Montfaucaon
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to offer for sale this lovely pair of original copper plate prints dating to 1719 by Bernard De Montfauucon of Paris.
Dom Bernard de Montfaucon, O.S.B. (French: [d? m?~fok?~]; 13 January 1655 – 21 December 1741) was a French Benedictine monk of the Congregation of Saint Maur. He was an astute scholar who founded the discipline of palaeography, as well as being an editor of works of the Fathers of the Church. He is regarded as one of the founders of the modern discipline of archaeology
Montfaucon was born on 13 January 1655 in the Castle of Soulatgé, a small village in the southern town of Corbières, then in the ancient Province of Languedoc, now in the modern Department of Aude. Other sources claimed his birth date is in 16 January, the most accepted date. After one year he was moved to the Castle of Roquetaillade, residence of his family. When he was seven, he was sent to Limoux, to the college run by the Fathers of Christian Doctrine
Montfaucon served in the French army as a volunteer and participated in the Franco-Dutch War of 1673. He was a captain of grenadiers and made two campaigns under the command of Marshall Turenne, participated in the Battle of Herbsthausen and fell ill in Saverne in Alsace. Because of his infectious illness he made a vow to Our Lady of Marceille to give one hundred livres to her sanctuary in Limoux and to become a monk, if he was able to return to his country as a result of her intervention.
After the death of Montfaucon's father at the Château de Roquetaillade, in 1675 he entered the novitiate of the Benedictine monastery of Bream in Toulouse. There he learned several ancient languages: Greek, Hebrew, Chaldean, Syriac, and Coptic.
In 1687 Montfaucon was called to the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés and he started to work on an edition of the works of the Greek Church...
Category
1710s French Antique Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Wood, Paper
Vintage Grand Tour Gladiator and Horse Fiberglass Relief
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A fantastic vintage Grand Tour fiberglass relief. A large molded gladiator medallion on a wrapped wood plinth. Large gilt rings on top. Acquired from...
Category
Mid-20th Century North American Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Fiberglass, Wood
19th Century Pair of Original Hand Coloured Engravings of Egypt
Located in Dublin 8, IE
19th Century pair of original hand coloured engravings of Egypt in gilt wood frames. After Cecile by Lienard & Reville. Titled “Thebes: Karnak. Vue de la Porte et des Temples du Sud”...
Category
Mid-19th Century Irish Antique Grand Tour Wall Decorations
Materials
Paper
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 Wall Decorations
Materials
Belgian Black Marble
Grand Tour wall decorations for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Grand Tour wall decorations for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the Late 20th Century, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage wall decorations created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include wall decorations, more furniture and collectibles, decorative objects and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with paper, wood and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Grand Tour wall decorations made in a specific country, there are Europe, Italy, and United Kingdom pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original wall decorations, popular names associated with this style include F. Barbedienne Foundry, Majolica Manufactory of Karlsruhe, and zuber. 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 wall decorations 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 $26,000 while the average work can sell for $1,606.
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