Grand Tour table with micromosaics, $9000 (£6600) at Roland New York.
However, for those who could afford them, the most prized and most expensive souvenirs were inlaid tabletops.
The most popular of these, championed by the workshop of Cesare Roccheggiani, contained views of the city set in a circular slab of marmore nero.
The example at Roland NY (23% buyer’s premium) in Glen Cove, New York, offered as part of the two-day estates sale on October 20-21, featured a central roundel depicting the Vatican from St Peter’s Square and eight surrounding vistas of ancient Roman monuments, including the Coliseum, the Forum, the Temple of Vespasian, the Temple of Vesta, and the Pantheon.
Set on a giltwood base that was probably of the period (c.1875), the table was estimated at $7000- 10,000 and sold at $9000 (£6600).
