The traditional Grand Tour of Europe was customary for upper-class European men from the mid-seventeenth century until the mid 1800’s, serving as an educational rite of passage for British nobility and landed gentry. The primary goal of the Grand Tour was to expose young gentlemen to the cultural legacy of classical antiquity and, at the same time, introduce them to the aristocracy and polite society of the Continent.
An extended stay in Rome was de rigeur, allowing Grand Tourists time to be educated in the fine arts and visit private collections of antiquities and paintings. Most purchased and commissioned works of art to bring back to England with them, and some gentlemen pursued their own artistic talents under the tutelage of Italian instructors.
Take your own “mini tour” of ancient Rome in our upcoming May 17 and 18th auction.
Included in this sale on May 17th are a bronze model of the Warwick vase, a group of obelisks, a classical plaque of Cupid, and a pair of bronze busts of Roman senators.
Included on May 18th are watercolors, drawings, chiaroscuro woodcuts, and vintage photographs depicting views of Rome during the period of the Grand Tour, along with a pair of small Roman marble profile busts, a marble classical bust, and a black basalt bust of Mercury.
LOT 119: WILLIAM HAMILTON (1731-1803): COLLECTION OF ETRUSCAN, GREEK AND ROMAN ANTIQUITIES FROM THE CABINET OF THE HONORABLE WILLIAM HAMILTON: TITLE PAGE AND SEVEN PLATES
Estimate: $800 – $1,200
LOT 358: ROMAN VIEWS AND STATUES: SIX PHOTOGRAPHS
Estimate: $400 – $600
LOT 589: VENETIAN SCHOOL: THE DOGES PALACE
Estimate: $1,000 – $1,500
LOT 646: GIUSSEPI CASSINI (ACTIVE 18TH CENTURY): VASES OF ANTIQUITY: EIGHT PLATES
Estimate: $600 – $800
LOT 653: ATTRIBUTED TO HUBERT ROBERT (1733-1808): RUINS OF A ROMAN TEMPLE
Estimate: $3,000 – $5,000
LOT 654: 20TH CENTURY: THE ROMAN COLOSSEUM; AND THE ROMAN FORUM
Estimate: $1,500 – $2,500
LOT 675: WALTER H. ALLCOTT (1880-1951): ARCH OF SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS, ROME
Estimate: $500 – $700
LOT 936: WEDGWOOD BLACK BASALT BUST OF MERCURY
Estimate: $700 – $900