A 19th Century Pair of Grand Tour Bronze Busts

A distinguished pair of 19th-century Grand Tour bronze busts depicting Julius Caesar and Tiberius, each crisply cast with sharply modelled features, laurel wreaths and finely articulated drapery. The bronzes retain a rich, even patination with subtle highlights brought out through gentle conservation, lending them exceptional depth and presence.

Each portrait is mounted on its original turned mahogany and engine-turned brass socle, engraved CESAR I and TIBERE III, a convention associated with 19th-century continental interpretations of the “Twelve Caesars,” widely collected by Grand Tour travellers, scholars and neoclassical enthusiasts. The mounts are unusually refined: warm, cabinet-grade timber, original brass collars with period tonality, and the honest wear expected of quality mid-19th-century decorative bronzes.

These busts display beautifully in a study, library or neoclassical interior, and pair naturally with architectural fragments, engravings and specimen marble. Their scale and patina give them a commanding presence comparable to far larger bronzes.

Condition

Excellent antique condition with minor, expected surface wear. Patination even and well-preserved. Socles structurally sound with light, honest tarnish to brass surfaces. No repairs or structural issues.

Dimensions

Height: approx. 23cm