Andrea here, thinking about the joys of traveling, and how much I have missed the heady experience of of being inspired by visiting new places—or cherished favorite spots that hold a place in my heart. As the world continues to open up, it feels like it’s possible to venture far from home, and I'm busy plotting where to go . . .
As you’ve probably noted, a number of the Wenches have been traveling hither and yon. Research beckons! (That’s always a good excuse for us to pack our bags!) But along with exploring specific sites for our books, it's also just good to get the general creative juices flowing by being in a foreign place and seeing the world from a different perspective.
And human nature being human nature, this desire to experience the world beyond one’s own familiar turf is nothing new in history. In the Georgian and Regency era, the "Grand Tour" was a rite of passage for the beau monde.
The term “Grand Tour” refers to the trip through the Continent made by rich young British gentlemen in order to acquire some polish. The ritual had a well-established route that was followed by many of the travelers. The first stop was Paris, where the young men were expected to learn about the social graces—dancing, fencing, and how to dress fashionably, as well as the art of conversation and an appreciation of the theatre. From there, they would head south, usually to Nimes, where they would get their first exposure to the classical Roman ruins of the Mediterranean area. From there, they often headed across the Alps and stopped in Geneva before heading south into the Italian peninsula.
Rome were the ultimate destination (with Florence and Naples—especially at Carnival time—also important stops.) It was here that the classical education that these young gentlemen studied at Eton, Harrow, Oxford and Cambridge was meant to come alive. But how, you might wonder, did these callow youths appreciate all the culture and history surrounding them? An excellent question! And that brings us to another interesting detail of the Grand Tour.
Traveling with a tutor was considered part of the ritual. Often these men were teachers the young gentlemen had become acquainted with during their university studies, but a few of them were actually professional tutors, who studied specifically to lead the educational trip. Through previous travels, they often had well-established connections in Rome with artists and dealers. This was important because collecting was a large part of the Tour’s purpose. But more on that in a moment.
Letters and diaries show that relationship between a tutor and his protégé was far from a simple teacher-student relationship. The young man’s father expected the tutor to control the finances and the wilder impulses of his son. And yet, the two men were travel companions for a lengthy period of time, and were together, as we say today, 24/7, so they often developed a strong friendship. (Many Grand Tour tutors went on to become influential men in their own right—government ambassadors, playwrights to name just a few—because of the bonds they had developed with their aristocratic pupils.)
However the tutor’s official role was to show his pupil the important classical sites and through these travels to educate him to appreciate the art and culture of classical antiquity. And in doing so, he often shaped that young gentleman’s taste in art. A notable example of pupil/tutor is Francis Basset, who at age 12 came into great wealth on inheriting copper and tin mines in southern England. After attending Harrow and Cambridge, he hired William Sands to guide him on his Tour.
Sands was a professional tutor with many useful connections in Rome, and through his journals we have learned many interesting details of the Grand Tour. There was a well-established English community in the Eternal City, and on arrival, Grand Tour travelers would stay in this enclave. There, they would usually engage the services of resident agent/dealers—James Byres and Thomas Jenkins were the two most prominent—to help arrange access to artist studios and to help with the purchases of antiquities. Who the tutor or agent knew often helped shape the taste of the pupil. For example, Sands was good friends with the noted Italian artist Giovanni Piranesi, who was known for his dramatic etchings of classical subjects. So it’s no surprise that Basset collected numerous prints by Piranesi.
A full length portrait of Basset by the painter Pompeo Batoni is a wonderful example of yet another important cultural tradition of the time—having a formal Grand Tour portrait painted to display at home. There was a very specific symbolism to these portraits—the gentlemen are usually shown holding a map of Rome, which indicated that they had visited the city. Fragments of ruins are meant to show their familiarity with classical art, and lastly, the scenic views of important buildings in the background serve to show how well-traveled they were.
These portraits were intended to be hung in a prominent place back home and their purpose was not only to be a “travel snapshot” for the men shown, but also to trumpet to viewers that the subject of the portrait was a sophisticated, well-traveled, well-cultured individual.
I hope you enjoyed this quick dash through the Grand Tour. Now, let’s play collector too! If you could choose any piece of art from Rome to bring home, what would your heart desire? I would have asked an agent to find me a chalk drawing done by Michelangelo or DaVinci. Or perhaps some Roman coins, or . . . Sigh—It’s so hard to choose! Or another question is, if not Rome, what city of wonderful cultural treasures would you choose to visit on your Grand Tour?
