Grand Tour bronze model of the facade of the Temple of Castor and Pollux in the Roman forum, Italy. With dark brown/black patina with areas of verdigris and mounted to rectangular base.

In the 18th and early 19th century, wealthy young Englishmen embarked on lengthy travels to the Continent, known as the Grand Tour. The voyage was meant to round out one’s education, with an emphasis on Classical arts and architecture, languages, history, literature, and philosophy. Grand Tourists bought souvenir buildings or ruins in bronze, alabaster, and marble – “objet d’art” created by Italian craftspeople – as keepsakes of their travels. These souvenirs celebrate the Classical world, while also referencing the cultural phenomenon that was the Grand Tour.