Portico of the Grand Tour. Italy, first half of the 19th century

Portico of the Grand Tour. Italy, first half of the 19th century.
Zinc with copper inlay.
Measurements: 70 x 41 x 32 cm.

The term "Grand Tour", which appears for the first time in the work "El Voyage d'Italie" by Richard Lassels, was used to define the long trip through Europe, especially Italy, that young British aristocrats usually made from the seventeenth century, but especially throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The purpose of the trip was for young people to become acquainted with the art and culture of France and Italy, to admire classical art at first hand, to learn or improve their knowledge of languages, and to establish contacts and relationships with the cultural and political elites of these countries. Travelers were often looking for pieces with which to start their own art collections, objects to take back to their places of residence as souvenirs. For this reason, workshops specialized in the replica of Roman pieces, both in bronze and marble, emerged, some of which acquired a great reputation.