All you needed back in the day was a decent horse and carriage, a fine trunk, and a reliable travel valet. Then you simply set off down through Europe. France, perhaps Germany, maybe Greece if the mood struck, and definitely Italy. In Italy, one would visit Rome, Florence, Venice, and Naples. Ancient settings were absorbed, classical artworks admired, architecture studied, and languages enriched. And of course, collecting took place—everything from millennia-old antiquities to pure tourist trinkets. The journey, which could last for years, was called the Grand Tour and was reserved for the young men of the aristocracy.

Now, Stockholms Auktionsverk Sickla has handpicked over 120 items related to this very phenomenon. Among them are a pair of tall-necked ancient vessels with black-figure decoration. Also included are a couple of Egyptian bronzes, a Wedjat eye, and a cuneiform tablet estimated to be nearly 4,000 years old. The auction also features coins, shell cameos, oil lamps, a few paintings, various ancient artifacts, a lapis lazuli paperweight, and an Italian bust of the lyric poet Sappho.

Just to name a few of the treasures that are, quite visibly, waiting to be discovered.

Welcome to explore them!