What material are most of these made from?

Bronze, by a clear margin. It is named in 281 of 460 titles, usually as a single figure, group or bust on a separate plinth. Carved stone follows: marble in 79 titles, alabaster in 35, serpentine in 20. Plaster and terracotta make up a small tail.

Which subjects come up most often?

The Dancing Faun of Pompeii is the most repeated single model, in twenty titles. Venus in her various forms appears in thirty-two. Behind them come the Medici lions, Narcissus, the Dying Gaul, the Spinario and the Borghese Gladiator. Library busts of Dante, Homer, Virgil, Augustus and Demosthenes turn up throughout.

How old are Grand Tour sculptures usually?

The dated field on Sellingantiques runs from 1750 to 1950. The single commonest entry is a plain "19th Century", with 159 listings filed that way. Where a decade is given, the 1880s lead by a wide margin, then the 1870s and 1890s. Only ten listings sit in the 18th century. So much of what comes to market is later than the Grand Tour itself, made for a commercial tourist and library trade.

Why are so many sold in pairs?

Pairs were how a lot of this work was made and sold. Sixty-one titles, about one in eight, are of pairs. Lions after the Medici or Canova model are the commonest, with Marly horses and Mercury and Fortuna close behind. A pair sits consistently above a comparable single figure.

Are these signed or marked by a maker?

Some are. Fifteen titles record a signature, and foundry or workshop names appear stamped on bronzes from Naples, Rome and Florence. Many more name only the statue copied. An unsigned cast after a famous original is the ordinary case in this category.

Do architectural models turn up in this category?

Occasionally, and they are among the rarer things to appear. An alabaster Colosseum, a Leaning Tower of Pisa, a Pisa Baptistery, the Temple of Castor and Pollux and a pair of Forum temples in Siena marble have all been listed. Figures, groups and busts account for the bulk of what comes through.

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Antique Grand Tour Sculptures

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Reduced copies of famous antique and Renaissance statues, made in bronze, marble, alabaster and plaster as souvenirs for travellers and ornaments for the library.