The GettyBack to Exhibitions

Italy on the Grand Tour


Exhibitions Overview

What was the Grand Tour?

Experience the Grand Tour

Exhibitions Events
Apollo Crowning Himself Fascination for the Past
Exposure to ancient art and architecture was a key component of the Grand Tour. Antiquities, the art of ancient Greece and Rome, set a standard for beauty and culture that 18th-century Europeans hoped to copy and surpass. Original works done in the style of the ancients, called Neoclassicism, were in vogue. Not only aesthetic but scientific interest was turned upon antiquity, with the understanding that artifacts could be a source of knowledge about the past. The borders, however, were not always clear. Copies of ancient sculpture and reconstructions of ancient scenes show a blending of observation with fantasy.
Click the objects for details.
Click the object for more details.
Dancing Faun
Mythological scenes based on the Hamilton Vase An Ancient Port
Vases, Furniture, and Objects Discovered at Herculaneum
The Hamilton Vase, profile
Robed Woman Accompanied by a Young Girl
ArtPeopleVeniceRomeNaplesAntiquitiesSpectacleSouvenirs



J.Paul Getty Trust © 2001 J. Paul Getty Trust
Terms of Use
/ Privacy Policy