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.
Italian Antique Scagliola Circular Centre Table Top
Located in London, GB
An Italian antique scagliola circular centre table top Italian, 19th century Height 1.5cm, diameter 90cm This delicately detailed circular tabl...
Scagliola
19th Century Brass Mounted Circular Speciman Top Coffee Table
Located in Dublin 8, IE
19th Century brass mounted circular speciman top coffee table. The central panel of precious stone depicts a scene of a water carrier in a mountainous landscape. This is surrounded b...
Marble, Brass
Early 19th Century Walnut Coffee Table
Located in High Point, NC
Early 19th century walnut coffee table from Switzerland. This is a handsome table with great patina. The top is made from three planks which have excellent color and graining throu...
Walnut
Large 19th century elm coffee table
Located in Budleigh Salterton, GB
Wonderful example of an early 19th century elm coffee table French circa 1840’s Reduced in height cleaned and waxed polished 185 cms wide 79 cms deep 51 cms high
Elm
Classical Italian Pietra Dura Stone Mosaic Round Table Top
Located in Marbella, ES
Classical Italian Pietra Dura compass rose mosaic round white marble tabletop handcrafted with serpentine green, Alicante red, Nero black, travertine and o...
Marble
'Euclide' Steel Centre Table Structure by Stephane Ducatteau
Located in London, London
'Euclide' steel centre table structure by Stephane Ducatteau, France, 2003. Signed. All Ducatteau pieces are available exclusively from Decoratu...
Steel
Coffee Table, Centre Table
Located in London, Park Royal
Louis XV style coffee table made by La Maison London. Rocaille revival style, hand-carved in solid wood, finished in hand-painted gesso white. Deep button upholstery with a raspber...
Wood
19th-century English pine coffee table
Located in MILL, NL
19th-century English pine coffee table Rustic coffee table. From England. 19th century. With 2 drawers on the long side. Beautifully weathered top. Dimensions: 122L x 76W x 47H cm
Pine
19th Century French Oak Coffee Table
Located in High Point, NC
19th century French coffee table made from oak. The top is banded and has a beveled and gadrooned edge, following down to a carved decorated apron with a single drawer on the front a...
Oak
French 19th Century Table Basse - Coffee Table
Located in Round Top, TX
A primitive late19th century Table Basse - Coffee Table from the South of France. Soundly constructed from pine with clean minimalist lines and chunky block feet.
Pine
19th Century French Leather Top Coffee Table
Located in Nashville, TN
A reclaimed, antique, wooden coffee table with leather top. The coffee table has a traditional period design with. Three small drawers two of which lock . The feet have turned detail...
Leather, Wood
$958Sale Price|30% Off
H 29.93 in W 31.5 in D 31.5 in
Antique Carved Mahogany Circular Table Occasional Side Centre Window
Located in Wisbech, England
Antique fine quality C1910 carved mahogany circular occasional, side, centre, or window table (in the manner of Gillows). No loose joints and no woodworm. A rare decorative find, ...
Wood
19th Century French Cherry Coffee Table
Located in High Point, NC
19th century cherry coffee table from France. The top is made from planks and follows down to a simple apron, containing a single drawer in the front of the piece. The table is sup...
Cherry
$5,658
H 16.54 in W 43.31 in D 23.63 in
Midcentury Coffee Centre Table, Carved Nanto's Stone Achille Grassi Attributed
By Achille Grassi
Located in Vigonza, Padua
1960s coffee table, neoclassical Nanto stone columns, Vicenza white stone or famous Palladio stone, wrought iron central crosspiece and beveled polished edge, bevelled thick crystal ...
Stone, Crystal, Iron
Fine Mallett Low Table
Located in London, GB
A fine and unusually small scale low table with a craquelle paint finish in light blue, the black 19th century Chinese export lacquer panel with red and gilt figures within mountains...