From the Grand Tour to the Great Exhibition - at the V&A

From the 17th century until the late 18th century a ‘Grand Tour’ was an essential part of an aristocratic education. The objects and ideas brought back to Britain by Grand Tourists went on to form the basis of the collections, architecture and design of the stately homes of Britain, We look at the work of Inigo Jones, William Kent and the Earl of Burlington, Josiah Wedgewood and Robert Adam, tracing the arrival of the Palladian style of architecture and interior design in Britain. We will also consider how the embrace of rococo and later neoclassical styles reflects the socio-political ambitions of its patrons.