The Grand Tour And The British Culture1

The Grand Tour and the British Culture

Introduction

History records that prior to the eighteenth century, cities located in Italy such Venice

and Rome stimulated the imagination of the British elite. However, as travel around the globe

and especially Europe become commonplace after the peace treaty of Westphalia in the sixteenth

century onwards, the concept of “Grand Tour” emerged among the British elite. It is argued that

the Grand Tour was an occurrence that shaped the trajectory of the creative and intellectual

capabilities of some of the most successful artists, thinkers and writers of the eighteenth century.

The tour attracted tourist to the continent of Europe between c.1550 and 1850 and significantly

influenced the British culture, political, social, architectural, sartorial, gastronomic and artistic

evolution.

History of the Grand Tour

The first person to use the word Grand Tour in history was a Roman Catholic priest

known as Richard Lassels (c. 1603-68) in his book The Voyage of Italy. Because the Grand Tour

was regarded as a cultural tradition, it became popular after the peace treaty of the Munster

(1648), which ended the Thirty Years’ War (Encyclopedia of Art History np). As a result, by the

beginning of the 18

century the elite and artists in Europe and specifically Britain began to

travel, the travel fulfilled their desire of wanting to become acquainted with other cultures, art

and create international contacts (Sweet 2). Grand Tour was also considered an avenue for

young people to expand their intellect through association with other parts of the continent

notably in the sphere of foreign languages and fine art. Furthermore, the European Grand Tour

concerned its self with journeys to the principal cities as opposed to the exploration of the

countryside and the rural areas (Sweet 2). Accordingly, London was regarded as the starting

point and Paris a compulsory destination during the process of the voyage (Kleiner and Helen

765). After Paris, the travelers made their way to the south, either through the Alps to Northern

Italy. On the other hand, the return journey involved going through principal cities of Germany,

Austria-Hungary and the Low Countries or sometimes through Paris again (Sweet 2). Some also

made their journey to Switzerland and a few travelled to Greece, Turkey and Spain. The primary

place to visit, however, was Italy (Layton-Jones np).

The British were regarded as the most enthusiastic travelers and they were the creators of

the initials “tour code” they decided on the desired destinations and the required itineraries

(Kleiner and Helen 765). Although Rome was designed as the ultimate destination, some of the

British travelers travelled as far as Venice in the North and Naples in the South. Some other

destinations included Sicily, Paestum, Florence, Milan, Genoa, Pisa, Parma, and Bologna

(Kleiner and Helen 765). All these destinations appeared in the travel guidebooks and paintings

that were used by the travelers. Joseph Mallord William Turner and Joseph Wright of Derby are

some of the famous artists who had an interest in the Grand Tour (Kleiner and Helen 765)

(Zuelow 16). A renowned British traveler Charles Thompson appealed to many Grand Tourist in

the 1744 when he described himself as:

“ being impatiently desirous of viewing a country so famous in history, which at one

point gave the world; which is currently the greatest school of music and painting, contains the

nobles productions of statuary and architecture, and abounds with Cabinets of rarities and

collection of all types of antiquities (Sorabela np).”

Many of those that engaged in the Grand Tour returned home with a painting done by

Antonio Canaletto, the talented painter of the scenic views of Venice (Kleiner and Helen 765).

However, a large percentage of the individuals taking the tour had an ambition to improve their

taste by examining and studying the finest art and architecture while at the same time

participating in the leisure endeavors and social events in countries that were regarded as polite

(Sweet 3). However, this is not to conclude that their main interest was on artwork, education,

leisure, and socialization. There were also communication and remarks made concerning the

fertility of the soil, agricultural activities, existences of manufacturing and the conditions of the

laboring populations (Sweet 3) and (Tucker 7). All these comprised a significant part of what the

travelers took back home from their extensive tours of the continent.

Practically, a typical traveler in the Grand Tour was a young man with good command of

Greek and Latin literature and a considerable interest in art and by default; they were regarded as

wealthy because the tours were expensive (Burk 2). According to Zuelow (p. 16), the Grand

Tour as closely linked to the England’s “landed elite” and education of the young nobles.

Historians claimed the Grand Tour is not complete with the absence of a young British patrician

preferably male, a tutor who provided expert advice and planned the journey and finally a fixed

itinerary that had Rome as its principle destination. What's more, the journey had to be for an

extended period normally two to three years (Zuelow 16). A vivid example was the eighth Duke

of Hamilton who travelled together with Dr John Moore as his tutor. The young Duke is

recorded in history to have travelled to Rome in Italy in 1772 when he was only sixteen years,

spent over four years during his visit, and spent large amounts of money on art (Burk 3). Another

peculiar feature of these travelers is that almost all the travelers had an accompany tutor usually

referred to as ‘bear-leader (Mead np).

Another significant traveler was Maarten van Heemskerck, he had an imagination of

travelling, seeing and painting the Seven Wonders of the World, because of these motivations he

was able to travel to northern and central Italy and later halted in Rome (Art and Popular Culture

np). While spending time in Rome Heemskerck was able to paint the scene of St. Luke painting

the Virgin, which he gave as a showpiece for the St. Luke’s altar located in Bavokerk (Art and

Popular Culture np). According to Meier (np), Heemskerck stayed in Italy for an estimated four

years. He spent time sketching and studying classical art, landscape and architecture but mainly

interested in the ruins of the religious wars and conflicts of the 16

century. Historians reiterate

that his painting of the Seven Wonders of the World is more famous and widely recognized as

compared to the ruins of the religious wars. Heemskerck is also known to be the first artist in the

Northern Netherlands to handle printmaking in an efficient way abandoning, which assisted artist

that came after him such Philip Galle and Dirck Coornhert.

Scottish national Robert Adam also secured a place in the Grand Tour history. Adam

returned to London from his Grand Tour in 1758, at the time he was granted membership to the

Royal Society of Arts. Adam was regarded as one of the most important architects in Britain that

worked his designs using a neo-classical style. In his artwork, Adam incorporated designs that

he borrowed from the ancient Greece and Rome to produce designs that are more contemporary.

Some of his famous houses in London include the Syon House, Osterley Park and Kenwood

House (Victoria and Albert Museum np). Accordingly, history records Robert Adam as the brain

behind the design of numerous impressive country houses and castles throughout the Great

Britain (The National Trust for Scotland). For instance, in Scotland he designed the Newliston,

Mellerstain and Culzean. The architect was also involved in the design of the Charlotte Square

(The National Trust for Scotland). Therefore, it is safe to conclude that the knowledge of design

that Robert Adam acquired in Greece and Italy helped him to contribute to the homegrown

architectural designs of the British.

Joshua Reynolds is also another decorated artist that made it to the art history of Britain

through the Grand Tour. Sir Reynolds Joshua took a journey to Rome between 1750 and 1752

to study and gain insights of the Italian art. Originally, he was an English painter manuscripts

that were recorded during his trip indicated that Joshua indicated that he paid visit to various

galleries and museums to view works by famous Italian painters such as Michaelango and Rafael

(Marciari 12). Reynolds extensively studies his masters and sometimes destroyed portraits in

order to discover the techniques used by the artists that painted them. In addition to his self-

determination, he was able to learn under experienced artists, later when he had already

established a reputation as a painter Reynolds travelled to Italy and gained extra experience and

techniques for several years (Krüge 63). Some of the art pieces that he painted in the 1730s can

illustrate his competence and experience regarding the Grand Tour. For instance, in 1732 when

he returned to London from the Grand Tour to Italy, Joshua Reynolds was able to paint a full-

length portrait of commodore August keppd (Krüge 64). Even though the art was stored in his

house for a relatively long period, historian and some of his peers regarded the portrait worked as

an excellent tool for advertising his skills.

Part 2

Work Cited

Sweet, Rosemary. Cities and the Grand Tour: the British in Italy, c. 1690-1820. No. 19.

Cambridge University Press, 2012.

Kleiner, Fred S, and Helen Gardner. Gardner's Art Through the Ages: A Global History.

Australia: Thomson Wadsworth, 2009. Print.

Mead, William Edward. The grand tour in the eighteenth century. Houghton Mifflin, 1914.

Dr Katy Layton-Jones, review of The Grand Tour, (review no. 839).

http://www.history.ac.uk/reviews/review/839

Sorabella, Jean. “The Grand Tour.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The

Metropolitan

Museum of Art, 2000. October 2003. Web. 6

December 2027.

Burk Kathleen. The Grand Tour of Europe. Gresham College. 5th April 2005. Web. 5th

December 2017

Tucker, Josiah. Instructions for Travellers. By Josiah Tucker,... No. 7. William Watson, 1758.

Encyclopedia of Art History. The European Grand Tour (c.1650-1850): Cultural Highlights, Arts

Itinerary. Web. 6

December 2017.

Zuelow, Eric G. E. A History of Modern Tourism. , 2015. Print.

Art and Popular Culture. Maarten van Heemskerck. February 2012. Web. 6th December 2017.

Meier Allison. 16th-Century Visions of the Ruins of Religious Wars. 12th January 2016. Web.

6th December 2017.

The National Trust for Scotland. Robert Adam (1728-1792). 2010. Web. 6th December 2017.

Victoria and Albert Museum. Robert Adam: Neo-Classical Architect and Designer. 2016. Web.

6th December 2017.

Marciari, John. Grand tour diaries and other travel manuscripts in the James Marshall and

Marie-Louise Osborn collection. Beinecke Rare Book & Manscript Library, 1999.

Krüger Alexander. “Between doctrine & practice Joshua Reynolds, portraiture, and the Royal Academy.”

2014. 61-67

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