Grand Tour : The Lure of Italy in the Eighteenth Century

The Grand Tour, the journey made by noblemen and gentlemen of many nations to Italy in search of antique and modern culture, reached its apogee in the 18th century and came to an end with the Napoleonic Wars in the 1790s. This book looks at this vital aspect of European civilization in the age of the Enlightenment from the point of view of several countries and includes the work of foremost artists of the period, among them Canaletto, Richard Wilson, Pompeo Batoni, Joseph Wright of Derby, and Joshua Reynolds.A team of international experts has been brought together to contribute detailed descriptions of ever 200 paintings, sculptures, watercolors, prints, and objets d'art from Europe and America.