Grand Tour Collecting refers to the acquisition of artworks, sculptures, antiquities and decorative objects brought back from continental Europe by wealthy British travellers during the seventeenth, eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Inspired by visits to Italy, Greece and other cultural centres, collectors purchased classical sculptures, bronze reductions, marble carvings, mosaics, micromosaics, souvenir views and archaeological artefacts. Today, Grand Tour objects are highly prized for their historical significance, artistic quality and association with the education and tastes of the Georgian elite.