A European tour has for so long been a rite of passage for artists and students, we forget it was otherwise in the sixteenth- to eighteenth centuries, when only persons of rank or distinction were able to adventure abroad. Missionaries and pilgrims, merchants and diplomats, artists and scientists, were also great travelers within Europe and beyond, bringing home objects and ideas that influenced art and culture. This course will explore the phenomenon of the Grand Tour, focusing on the meaning of Italy as a tourist destination, in contrast to the significance of Versailles, Moscow, Asia and the Middle East. We will study guidebooks, the logistics of travel, patterns of collecting, and the transfer of specific design impulses.
