Grand Tour Cup. Italy, 18th-19th century

Grand Tour Cup. Italy, 18th-19th century.
Siena marble.
Measurements: 38 x 54 x 54 cm.

The particularity of the cup in tender lies in the material used, the so-called Siena marble, a variety characterized by its warm color and its heterogeneous texture with spots and veins that give it a unique appearance. It was certainly made at the time of the Grand Tour, a term that appears for the first time in the work "The Voyage d'Italie" by Richard Lassels, which was used to define the long journey through Europe, especially Italy, usually made by young British aristocrats 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.