Antique Marble Fireplaces
Stunning antique marble fireplaces, mantels & chimneypieces made in variety of different antique marbles, including Sienna marble, Statuary marble, Cippolino marble and Verde antico marble.
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Stock: 16270
A fine antique Regency chimneypiece with floral tablet and endblocks. The moulded shelf sits above a crispy panelled frieze mounted with a floral tablet, carved to depict an arrangement of flowers in a basket. This is flanked by delicately carved floral endblocks over panelled jambs and plain footblocks
English, c.1830.
View our section showing the full range of our neo-classical chimneypieces
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
73 1⁄4"
186.2 cms |
47 3⁄16"
120 cms |
11 1⁄8"
28.3 cms |
| Internal |
44"
111.7 cms |
38 1⁄2"
97.7 cms |
|
Listed Price: £14,000 (+VAT where applicable)
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Stock: 16287
An unusual Victorian fireplace very much in the French taste, but manufactured in England. The moulded serpentine shelf sits above a panelled frieze inset with verde antico marble and centred by a foliate cartouche. This is flanked by foliate endblocks, over verde antico angled and panelled jambs.
English, c.1890.
Provenance: Hallrule Mansion House.
View our collection of: Antique French chimneypieces inc. Louis XVI, French Empire fireplace mantels.
|
width |
height |
depth |
| External |
56 7⁄8"
144.5 cms |
42 1⁄4"
107.5 cms |
16 11⁄16"
42.5 cms |
| Internal |
39 3⁄8"
100 cms |
35 3⁄16"
89.5 cms |
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Listed Price: £6,500 (+VAT where applicable)
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Stock: 16320
A fine Victorian St Ann marble fireplace. The shelf rests over a plain frieze and jambs with beautifully carved corbels.
English, c.1860.
View our collection of: Antique Victorian, William IV and Edwardian fireplaces and chimneypieces.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
68 1⁄2"
174 cms |
47 5⁄8"
121 cms |
11 7⁄8"
30.2 cms |
| Internal |
38 3⁄16"
97 cms |
38 3⁄16"
97 cms |
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Listed Price: £5,500 (+VAT where applicable)
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Stock: 16252
A fine Louis XVI Carrara marble chimneypiece with ormolu mounts. The moulded shelf sits over a panelled frieze which has a fine tablet mounted with an ormolu cornucopia decoration, and the panels highlighted with ormolu beading. The ormolu continues in the form of acanthus paterae, ormolu husks and bound laurel on the stop fluted jambs.
French, mid-19th century.
Link to: Antique French chimneypieces inc. Louis XVI, French Empire fireplace mantels.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
57 1⁄8"
145 cms |
42 13⁄16"
108.7 cms |
15"
38 cms |
| Internal |
40 13⁄16"
103.6 cms |
32 1⁄2"
82.5 cms |
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Listed Price: £11,500 (+VAT where applicable)
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Stock: 15233
A very fine Louis XVI marble chimneypiece, possibly made for the English market in beautifully matched dove grey bardiglio fiorito. The marble has exceptional veining which is book matched on the jambs. The moulded shelf sits above a frieze carved with crisp volutes which are echoed in the jambs.
French, late 19th century.
View our collection of: Antique French chimneypieces inc. Louis XVI, French Empire fireplace mantels.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
56 3⁄16"
142.7 cms |
48"
121.8 cms |
13 7⁄8"
35.2 cms |
| Internal |
39 13⁄16"
101 cms |
39 3⁄16"
99.5 cms |
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Listed Price: £6,500 (+VAT where applicable)
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Stock: 16162
A really striking and large Victorian fireplace in Bardiglio Fiorito marble. The wide and deep shelf is supported by simple corbels on plan jambs. The angled inner returns are a really unusual feature and give this fireplace a substantial presence.
English, c.1840.
View our collection of: Antique Victorian, William IV and Edwardian fireplaces and chimneypieces.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
78 1⁄2"
199.3 cms |
55"
139.7 cms |
13 7⁄8"
35.4 cms |
| Internal |
39 3⁄8"
100.2 cms |
40 7⁄8"
103.9 cms |
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Listed Price: £16,000 (+VAT where applicable)
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Stock: 16307
A small Louis XVI Bardiglio Fiorito marble fireplace, the moulded shelf sits snugly above the simply panelled frieze, which is flanked by simple rounded endblocks over angled jambs.
French, late 19th century.
View our collection of: Antique French chimneypieces inc. Louis XVI, French Empire fireplace mantels.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
53 1⁄2"
136 cms |
42"
106.8 cms |
14 11⁄16"
37.3 cms |
| Internal |
38 1⁄2"
97.7 cms |
32 1⁄4"
82 cms |
|
Listed Price: £6,200 (+VAT where applicable)
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Stock: 16306
A fine pompadour chimneypiece in a boldly veined nero marquina marble, with a panelled frieze and angled jambs. The perfect small fireplace that would work well in both period or contemporary interiors.
French, 19th century.
View our collection of:
Antique French chimneypieces inc. Louis XVI, French Empire fireplace mantels.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
|
42 1⁄2"
108 cms |
40 3⁄8"
102.5 cms |
13 5⁄8"
34.5 cms |
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28 11⁄16"
73 cms |
33 13⁄16"
85.8 cms |
|
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Stock: 16305
A beautiful Pompadour chimneypiece in a boldly veined breche violette fireplace. The serpentine panelled frieze is supported by angled panelled jambs over plain footblocks. Small but perfectly formed!
French, late 19th century.
View our collection of: Antique French chimneypieces inc. Louis XVI, French Empire fireplace mantels.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
|
54 5⁄8"
138.7 cms |
41 1⁄2"
105.5 cms |
14 1⁄4"
36.2 cms |
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|
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Listed Price: £7,800 (+VAT where applicable)
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Stock: 16304
A Louis XVI fireplace in a boldly veined breche violette marble. The simply moulded shelf rests above a panelled frieze and square endblocks, over simple volute jambs. A celebration of this beautiful marble.
French, late 19th century.
View our collection of: Antique French chimneypieces inc. Louis XVI, French Empire fireplace mantels.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
53 1⁄2"
136 cms |
41 1⁄4"
105 cms |
13 13⁄16"
35 cms |
| Internal |
36 5⁄8"
93 cms |
31 7⁄8"
81 cms |
|
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Stock: 16285
A fine Scottish Rococo statuary marble chimneypiece. The moulded serpentine shelf rests above a dramatic panelled frieze, centred by a rocailled motif, and scrolling foliate decoration. This is echoed by the beautifully carved c scroll enblocks, aboce console jambs decorated with hanging bellflowers, and terminating in scrolling acanthus leaves.
Scottish Rococo chimneypieces are much rarer than their continental counterparts.
Scottish, early 19th century.
View our collection of: Antique French chimneypieces inc. Louis XVI, French Empire fireplace mantels.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
67"
170.2 cms |
47 5⁄8"
121 cms |
7 11⁄16"
19.5 cms |
| Internal |
46 1⁄4"
117.5 cms |
38 7⁄8"
98.8 cms |
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Listed Price: £18,500 (+VAT where applicable)
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Stock: 16273
A rare Irish chimneypiece of grand proportions in statuary marble. The generous moulded shelf rests over a wide panelled frieze which is mounted with a tablet of exceptional quality. It depicts a recumbent Poseidon, god of the sea, being drawn on a seashell chariot by hippocampi, all carved in an artful blend of high and low relief. This scene is flanked by the most glorious endblocks, each a crouching Aphrodite, situated within a scallop shell. These crouch above freestanding Doric columns. The strikingly simple elegance of the chimneypiece is a perfect foil for the beautifully carved tablet and spectacular endblocks.
Irish, c.1820.
Provenance:
Raheen House, Raheen, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, Southern Ireland.
By repute, the chimneypiece was installed at Raheen House by the then owners of the house, the Burke family, circa 1889, when they apparently acquired it in lieu of a part payment for a warehouse. This commercial building was purchased by the Loreto Convent of Clonmel to be used as a religious school when their own school was damaged by fire.
View our section showing the full range of our neo-classical chimneypieces
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
83 7⁄8"
213 cms |
54 11⁄16"
139 cms |
18 1⁄8"
46 cms |
| Internal |
43 1⁄4"
110 cms |
38 5⁄8"
98 cms |
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Stock: 8232
A very smart English Regency specimen marble chimneypiece in Kilkenny Black Fossil Marble inlaid with Breche Violette marble panels which have been cut and opened like a book to reveal symetrical veining. The oval plaque on the frieze and the flanking end blocks are of inlaid Convent Sienna Marble. English, circa 1820.
Link to: Antique English Regency chimneypieces inc. George IV fireplace mantels.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
69"
175.3 cms |
55 11⁄16"
141.6 cms |
6"
15.2 cms |
| Internal |
43"
109.2 cms |
42 1⁄2"
108 cms |
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Listed Price: £24,000 (+VAT where applicable)
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Stock: 16164
A large Victorian chimneypiece in a striking, dramatically veined bardiglio fiorito marble. The large shelf rests on simply carved corbels, which flank a wide and plain frieze, over wide plain jambs with angled returns. This fireplace would be well suited to both a traditional, and a contemporary interior, due to its imposing simplicity.
English, c.1860.
View our collection of: Antique Victorian, William IV and Edwardian fireplaces and chimneypieces.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
75 3⁄8"
191.5 cms |
48 3⁄16"
122.5 cms |
11 5⁄8"
29.5 cms |
| Internal |
38 3⁄16"
97 cms |
37 3⁄8"
95 cms |
|
Listed Price: £12,000 (+VAT where applicable)
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Stock: 15650
A small and elegant Regency fireplace with a reeded frieze and jambs. The central tablet is carved with a neoclassical urn flanked by ram's heads and the endblocks are simply rendered with floral paterae.
English. c. 1820.
Photographs before cleaning and restoration.
View our section showing the full range of our neo-classical chimneypieces
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
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61"
155 cms |
44 1⁄2"
113 cms |
7 1⁄2"
19 cms |
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42 7⁄8"
109 cms |
37"
94 cms |
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Stock: 10919
A beautiful early Victorian Derbyshire fossil marble fireplace. The marble is a beautiful soft dove grey and is studded with a plethora of fascinating fossils. This is one of the finest examples we have seen of a fossil marble fireplace.
English, circa 1840.
Notes from the Corsi Collection of Decorative Stones:
The fossilised remains of crinoids (sea lilies) and corals are particularly abundant in Carboniferous Limestone, a geological formation that outcrops in various parts of Britain including Sheldon Moor, in the Derbyshire Peak District. It is rarely quarried for decorative use today. The 6th Duke of Devonshire, was responsible for bringing some of the Derbyshire stone to Rome and there are rare examples of its use in pietre dure work of the early 19th century.
View our collection of: Antique Victorian, William IV and Edwardian fireplaces and chimneypieces.
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width |
height |
depth |
| External |
61 3⁄8"
156 cms |
48"
122 cms |
8 7⁄8"
22.5 cms |
| Internal |
38"
96.5 cms |
38"
96.5 cms |
|
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Stock: 16057
A stylish and strikingly modern antique marble bolection fireplace in beautifully veined portoro marble with its original matching fender and cast iron work, not yet photographed.
English, circa 1920.
View our collection of: Antique Baroque Chimneypieces inc English, Italian, French, Flemish Bolection fireplace mantels.
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width |
height |
depth |
| External |
64"
162.6 cms |
44"
111.7 cms |
4"
10.2 cms |
| Internal |
48"
122 cms |
36"
91.4 cms |
|
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Stock: 16123
A rare neoclassical chimneypiece of exceptional quality in statuary marble with a lapis lazuli tablet. The inverse breakfront shelf is supported by a boldly carved egg and dart undershelf which rests on a crisply carved, reeded frieze. The frieze is mounted with an exceptionally fine lapis lazuli tablet with an applied low relief scene in statuary marble depicting a pair of cavorting putti. This is flanked by floral paterae endblocks over jambs finely carved with flat corbels, terminating in bellflowers.
English, c.1830.
From the collection of a renowned international interior designer.
View our section showing the full range of our neo-classical chimneypieces
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
73 1⁄4"
186.1 cms |
58 7⁄8"
149.5 cms |
12"
30.5 cms |
| Internal |
44 1⁄4"
112.5 cms |
43 1⁄8"
109.6 cms |
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Stock: 16246
A Victorian chimneypiece in a grey mottled St Anne marble, with a stepped frieze and fluted pilaster jambs, striking in its simplicity.
English, circa 1850.
View our collection of: Antique Victorian, William IV and Edwardian fireplaces and chimneypieces.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
62 1⁄4"
158.2 cms |
49 1⁄4"
125.3 cms |
11 1⁄4"
28.6 cms |
| Internal |
36 3⁄8"
92.5 cms |
40 3⁄16"
102.2 cms |
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Listed Price: £4,200 (+VAT where applicable)
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Stock: 16124
A fine statuary marble Regency chimneypiece in the manner of Samuel Wyatt (1737-1807). The plain shelf sits over a slender panelled frieze, which is flanked by stylised oak leaf endblocks over jambs finely carved with ribbon tied oak leaves and acorns. This chimneypiece is reminiscent of the work of Samuel Wyatt, as the carving on the jambs is remarkably similar to his chimneypiece designed for Sundridge Park.
English, c.1805.
View our section showing the full range of our neo-classical chimneypieces
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width |
height |
depth |
| External |
63 3⁄8"
161 cms |
45 1⁄8"
114.5 cms |
9 3⁄8"
24 cms |
| Internal |
39 1⁄2"
100.3 cms |
35 3⁄16"
89.3 cms |
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Stock: 15439
An imposing Regency statuary marble chimneypiece with a bold geometric design to the frieze and the jambs, and laurel wreath endblocks. This strikingly modern design embedded within the Greek Revival style is very much the antecedent to the Art Deco, despite being designed over a hundred years before the modernist style. This chimneypiece is of exceptional quality.
Irish, circa 1820.
View our section showing the full range of our neo-classical chimneypieces
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
84 1⁄8"
213.5 cms |
54 1⁄2"
138.5 cms |
12"
30.6 cms |
| Internal |
50 3⁄16"
127.5 cms |
41 1⁄2"
105.5 cms |
|
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Stock: 14802
An imposing and striking large fireplace in highly polished Belgian Black Marble. The wide and deep moulded shelf sits above a panelled frieze with a crisply carved central tablet, which is flanked by two lion mask endblocks over wide panelled jambs and plain footblocks.
French, c.1900.
Link to: Antique French chimneypieces inc. Louis XVI, French Empire fireplace mantels.
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width |
height |
depth |
| External |
57 1⁄8"
145 cms |
43 3⁄8"
110.2 cms |
13 3⁄16"
33.5 cms |
| Internal |
36 3⁄8"
92.5 cms |
36"
91.4 cms |
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Listed Price: £14,000 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
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Stock: 14537
A substantial and grand Victorian fireplace in dramatic Belgian black marble. The large and wide moulded shelf sits over a verde antico undershelf, and is centred by a beautifully carved keystone above the slow arch which is emphasised by the spandrels, picked in gold. This is echoes in the generous corbels and jambs, which also have fine carving filled with gold.
English, c.1880.
View our collection of: Antique Victorian, William IV and Edwardian fireplaces and chimneypieces.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
77 13⁄16"
197.5 cms |
51"
129.5 cms |
15 5⁄8"
39.5 cms |
| Internal |
40"
101.5 cms |
37 3⁄8"
95 cms |
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Listed Price: £12,500 (+VAT where applicable)
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Stock: 15904
An unusual Belgian fireplace in statuary marble. The deep moulded shelf rests over the frieze and jambs, which have been unified in carving with a wide band of bound laurel in low relief and frames the stepped opening.
Belgian, mid-19th century.
Link to: Antique French chimneypieces inc. Louis XVI, French Empire fireplace mantels.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
70 7⁄8"
180 cms |
43 1⁄4"
110 cms |
17 11⁄16"
45 cms |
| Internal |
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|
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Listed Price: £14,500 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
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Stock: 16083
A good George III carved statuary and Siena marble chimneypiece with a games theme! The inverted breakfront shelf sits above a frieze depicting putti playing a game of 'blind man's bluff' within a classical setting. This scene is flanked by endblocks depicting putti playing battledore and shuttlecock, whilst the jambs below show putti skipping over neoclassical vases hung with swags. These sit either side of the generous Siena marble slips.
This is a really unusual chimneypiece with a wonderfully lighthearted subject.
English, c.1790 with later restorations.
View our section showing the full range of our neo-classical chimneypieces
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
72"
183 cms |
60 5⁄8"
154 cms |
7 1⁄8"
18 cms |
| Internal |
42 11⁄16"
108.5 cms |
44 3⁄16"
112.2 cms |
|
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Stock: 15872
A fine late nineteenth century fireplace in beautifully veined serravezza marble. The fireplace is simply carved, allowing the marble to take centre stage. The moulded shelf sits above a paneled frieze centred by a flited tablet and flanked by acanthus paterae endblocks. These rest on stop fluted jambs over plain footblocks.
French, c.1880.
View our collection of: Antique French chimneypieces inc. Louis XVI, French Empire fireplace mantels.
|
width |
height |
depth |
| External |
60 3⁄8"
153.5 cms |
43 1⁄4"
110 cms |
13 5⁄8"
34.6 cms |
| Internal |
43 1⁄8"
109.5 cms |
33 7⁄8"
86 cms |
|
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Stock: 15876
A fine Louis XV Rococo chimneypiece carved from the beautifully veined breccia seravezza marble, which incorporates soft grey and khaki tones on a a creamy ground. The fireplaces' serpentine shelf sits above a low and wide frieze, which is panelled and centred by a finely carved rocaille motif over boldly carved jambs.
The chimneypiece comes with its original cast iron insert, which is beautifully cast and decorated with putti and other Rococo motifs.
French, late 19th century.
Cast Iron Insert opening:
Width: 25"
Height: 23 1/2"
View our collection of: Antique Rococo Chimneypieces inc Louis XV English Scottish Chippendale Rococo fireplace mantels.
|
width |
height |
depth |
| External |
62 1⁄4"
158.2 cms |
44 1⁄4"
112.5 cms |
16 1⁄4"
41.5 cms |
| Internal |
45 5⁄8"
115.8 cms |
37"
94 cms |
|
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Stock: 15907
A large and grand Rococo white statuary marble fireplace, profusely carved in high relief to create a true statement piece. The moulded serpentine shelf sits an ornate frieze, carved with stylised acanthus leaves and flowers, centred by a beautifully carved scallop shell cartouche. This motif is echoed in the C scroll cartouche which sits above bold console jambs, also carved with flowers and curling acanthus leaves.
Scottish, mid-19th century.
Provenance: From a private Belgian collection.
Link to: Antique Rococo Chimneypieces inc Louis XV English Scottish Chippendale Rococo fireplace mantels.
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Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
66 7⁄8"
169.8 cms |
43 1⁄4"
110 cms |
14"
35.6 cms |
| Internal |
41 13⁄16"
106.1 cms |
34 1⁄2"
87.7 cms |
|
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Stock: 15883
An antique polished hard fossil limestone fireplace, with a plain frieze and jambs supported on simple moulded footblocks
English, circa 1890.
View our collection of: Antique Victorian, William IV and Edwardian fireplaces and chimneypieces.
|
width |
height |
depth |
| External |
64 3⁄8"
163.5 cms |
48 1⁄4"
122.8 cms |
10 3⁄16"
26 cms |
| Internal |
36"
91.5 cms |
38 3⁄16"
97 cms |
|
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Stock: 15875
An elegant Louis XV fireplace in red hued Languedoc marble. This particularly pretty example features a moulded serpentine shelf above a slender serpentine frieze, which is carved with a central shell cartouche and trailing flowers. This is framed by boldly carved c-scroll endblocks over floral console jambs.
French, mid-19th century.
View our collection of: Antique Rococo Chimneypieces inc Louis XV English Scottish Chippendale Rococo fireplace mantels.
|
width |
height |
depth |
| External |
64 5⁄8"
164 cms |
43 11⁄16"
111 cms |
13 7⁄8"
35.4 cms |
| Internal |
45 5⁄8"
115.8 cms |
37"
94 cms |
|
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Stock: 15870
An elegant Louis XV Rococo chimneypiece in finely veined Carrara marble. The moulded shelf sits above a serpentine frieze which is centred by a stylised 'rocaille' cartouche. This is flanked by scrolling endblocks which rest above panelled, console jambs.
French, late 19th century.
View our collection of: Antique Rococo Chimneypieces inc Louis XV English Scottish Chippendale Rococo fireplace mantels.
|
width |
height |
depth |
| External |
53 1⁄2"
136 cms |
41 7⁄8"
106.3 cms |
14 5⁄8"
37 cms |
| Internal |
36"
91.5 cms |
34 5⁄8"
88 cms |
|
Listed Price: £12,500 (+VAT where applicable)
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Stock: 15958
A fine and grand neoclassical chimneypiece in statuary marble with Siena marble inlay. The boldly carved breakfront shelf sits above a high relief egg and dart undershelf and a finely fluted frieze inlaid with Siena marble. This is mounted with a beautifully carved tablet depicting putti feeding a goat within a pastoral landscape. This symbolises abundance. The solitary putto endblocks rest on three-quarter pilasters with inlaid Siena volutes over plain jambs.
English, c.1760 with nineteenth-century restorations.
View our section showing the full range of our neo-classical chimneypieces
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
|
72 1⁄2"
184.2 cms |
61 5⁄8"
156.5 cms |
11"
28 cms |
|
43 11⁄16"
111 cms |
40 1⁄2"
102.8 cms |
|
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Stock: 16048
An antique carved marble pompadour fireplace of a larger size, in beautifully veined, rose coloured marble.
Provenance: Inside the fireplace, there is also a stenciled stamp, indicating that this fireplace was retailed on Rue Amelot, Paris. This is a rare survival.
Link to: Antique Rococo Chimneypieces inc Louis XV English Scottish Chippendale Rococo fireplace mantels.
|
width |
height |
depth |
| External |
57 1⁄2"
146 cms |
42 1⁄4"
107.5 cms |
14 3⁄8"
36.5 cms |
| Internal |
41 1⁄4"
105 cms |
35 3⁄16"
89.5 cms |
|
Listed Price: £5,200 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
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Stock: 15874
A compact Louis XV French fireplace in dramatic Belgian black marble. The serpentine shelf rests over a panelled frieze with centred by a scallop shell cartouche. This is framed by the scrolled acanthus endblocks which rest over console jambs.
View our collection of: Antique Rococo Chimneypieces inc Louis XV English Scottish Chippendale Rococo fireplace mantels.
|
width |
height |
depth |
| External |
54 1⁄4"
138 cms |
41 7⁄8"
106.5 cms |
15"
38 cms |
| Internal |
38 3⁄8"
97.5 cms |
34 1⁄4"
87 cms |
|
Listed Price: £8,400 (+VAT where applicable)
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Stock: 15868
A petite Louis XV Rococo fireplace in finely veined Carrara marble. Perfect for a smaller room. The serpentine frieze is centred by a well-carved scallop shell cartouche which rests on slim console jambs.
French, 1890.
View our collection of: Antique Rococo Chimneypieces inc Louis XV English Scottish Chippendale Rococo fireplace mantels.
|
width |
height |
depth |
| External |
48 5⁄8"
123.5 cms |
42 11⁄16"
108.5 cms |
15"
38 cms |
| Internal |
32 11⁄16"
83 cms |
35"
89 cms |
|
Marble fireplaces
Our stunning collection of antique marble fireplaces, mantels and chimneypieces features fireplaces made in a variety of different antique marbles, including Sienna marble, Statuary marble, Cippolino marble and Verde Antico marble.
A brief history of marble
Marble has been used in architecture for thousands of years, dating back to the ancient Mesopotamian and Egyptian cultures. Its ability to bear immense weight made it ideal for supporting structures and monolithic columns in public, private and religious buildings. Prized for its beauty and resilience, marble has been used in some of the world’s most iconic buildings, including the Parthenon, the Taj Mahal and the Palace of Versailles.
Marble has been popular for its use in sculpture since classical times. In fact, the word ‘marble’ derives from the Ancient Greek mármaron, which means ‘crystalline rock, shining stone’. Light is able to penetrate several millimetres into marble before being scattered out, producing the characteristic ‘glow’ that seems to give life to sculptures.
The introduction of marble fireplaces
Marble fireplaces have been popular for hundreds of years. Marble has been highly prized as a material for fireplaces due to its softness - which makes it easier to carve - its strength, and, perhaps most of all, its elegance and air of luxury.
The oldest piece in our collection of antique marble fireplaces dates back to around 1460. This extremely rare chimneypiece is carved in Pietra d’Istria marble from the Istrian Peninsula near Venice, and is attributed to Giorgio da Sebenico, sculptor of the Duomo San Francesco, Cathedral of Ancona.
A taste for marble fireplaces
Marble fireplaces remained fashionable in Europe throughout the 15th and 16th Centuries and were particularly popular during the Georgian, Regency and Victorian eras.
The first half of the Georgian era saw marble fireplaces influenced heavily by the classical temple architecture of the Greeks and Romans. Halfway through the 18th Century, designer and architect Robert Adam revolutionised fireplace design with his neoclassical fireplaces.
Marble fireplaces were much sought-after during the Regency period, particularly those made from Statuary marble. However, the onset of the Napoleonic wars in 1803 made its cost prohibitive to all but the wealthiest, and largely restricted its use to grand public rooms.
From the early to mid Victorian era these fireplaces were typically very ornate, featuring intricate floral designs. Later Victorian fireplaces show a preference for simpler, more geometric designs.
Antique marble fireplaces
Antique marble fireplaces are still very much in demand, and it’s easy to see why. From the simplest to the most sumptuously extravagant, a marble fireplace can be tastefully integrated into either a traditional or modern room to make a beautiful and striking focal point.
Our collection of antique marble fireplaces is one of the most comprehensive in the world. A display spanning such a breadth of styles, periods and materials is unlikely to be found elsewhere.