A large Italian Grand Tour patinated bronze sculpture... Lot 37

A large Italian Grand Tour patinated bronze sculpture of a dancing Faun, after the antique; late 19th century. Measurements: 81 x 28 x 30 cm. Based on the Roman bronze sculpture made in the 1st or 2nd centuries BC, that was discovered during the excavations of 1830-32 in Pomeji. The original is to be seen at Museo Archeologico di Napoli. The term "Grand Tour", which first appeared in Richard Lassels' "Le Voyage d'Italie", was used to define the long journey through Europe, especially Italy, which was usually undertaken by young British aristocrats from the 17th century onwards, but especially throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. The purpose of the journey was for young people to become acquainted with the art and culture of mainly 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. Travellers 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 specialising in the replication of Roman pieces, both in bronze and marble, sprang up, some of which acquired a great reputation.