BAROQUE, MANNERIST & BOLECTION ANTIQUE FIREPLACES
A selection of English, Scottish, Irish and European Baroque antique fireplaces, chimneypieces and mantels, including Bolections, in wood, stone and marble.
-
Reserved
Stock: 16646
A dramatic French bolection fireplace in a boldly veined verde antico marble, with a cushion moulding around the opening.
Unlike English bolections, this fireplace has the useful addition of a shelf making it a practical choice when you are looking to decorate a mantelpiece.
French, late 19th century.
View our collection of: Antique French chimneypieces inc. Louis XVI, French Empire fireplace mantels.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
57 1⁄2"
146 cms |
42 1⁄2"
107.9 cms |
9 11⁄16"
24.6 cms |
| Internal |
41 13⁄16"
106.2 cms |
34 13⁄16"
88.5 cms |
|
-
Stock: 6611
A large and grand bolection fireplace in the most beautifully dramaric red rouge royale marble. With a wide moulded shelf, this deep bolection fireplace has Greek corners and scrolls on the jambs, elevating it beyond the usual simplicity that typifies the style.
French, c.1850.
View our collection of fireplaces: Antique Baroque Chimneypieces inc English, Italian, French, Flemish Bolection fireplace mantels.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
65 7⁄8"
167.3 cms |
46 3⁄16"
117.4 cms |
16 1⁄4"
41.5 cms |
| Internal |
38 1⁄8"
96.7 cms |
38"
96.5 cms |
|
Listed Price: £12,000 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
-
Stock: 16562
A large and grand bolection fireplace in the most beautifully veined breche violette marble. With a wide moulded shelf, this deep bolection fireplace has Greek corners and scrolls on the jambs, elevating it beyond the usual simplicity that typifies the style.
French, c.1850.
Outer footblock to footblock width 63" 160cms
View our collection of fireplaces: Antique Baroque Chimneypieces inc English, Italian, French, Flemish Bolection fireplace mantels.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
65"
165.2 cms |
43 1⁄2"
110.5 cms |
16 11⁄16"
42.5 cms |
| Internal |
41 1⁄4"
105 cms |
35 3⁄16"
89.5 cms |
|
Listed Price: £18,000 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
-
Stock: 14168
An antique Louis XIV Chimneypiece in exceptionally beautiful, richly veined Ribbon Campan marble. The generously moulded bolection opening with rounded corners is set within a simple moulded frame with concave corners, all set below the nicely moulded break front shelf.
French, Late 19th century.
Campan marble comes from the high French Pyrenees, were it has been quarried since Antiquity. The area produces a variety of beautiful, richly veined coloured marbles, such as Campan Gran Mélange, Campan Vert, Ribbon Campan and the deep red Rouge Griotte. These were much prized and used in the apartments in Versailles during the reign of Louis XVI for chimneypieces and wall panels. Campan Vert and Campan Gran Mélange are extensively used on the walls of the Escalier de la Reine (the Queen’s stairs) Versailles.
View our collection of fireplaces: Antique Baroque Chimneypieces inc English, Italian, French, Flemish Bolection fireplace mantels.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| external |
57 1⁄2"
146 cms |
45 3⁄8"
115.4 cms |
15 1⁄2"
39.3 cms |
| internal |
39"
99 cms |
36 1⁄2"
92.7 cms |
|
Listed Price: £6,800 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
-
Stock: 12837
A large and dramatic French Baroque fireplace in boldly veined green Verde Naoussa marble with detailed spandrels a large shaped opening over substantial footblocks.
French mid 19th century.
Link to: Antique Baroque Chimneypieces inc English, Italian, French, Flemish Bolection fireplace mantels.
|
width |
height |
depth |
| External |
62 3⁄16"
158 cms |
41 11⁄16"
106 cms |
16 1⁄8"
41 cms |
| Interior |
45 11⁄16"
116 cms |
33 7⁄8"
86 cms |
|
Listed Price: £8,000 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
-
Stock: 16208
A super simple and very stylish French carrara marble fireplace, in the bolection style. Unlike English bolections, this fireplace has the useful addition of a shelf making it a practical choice when you are looking to decorate a mantelpiece.
French circa 1900.
View our collection of: Antique French chimneypieces inc. Louis XVI, French Empire fireplace mantels.
|
width |
height |
depth |
| External |
53 1⁄8"
135 cms |
41 1⁄4"
105 cms |
9 3⁄8"
24 cms |
| Internal |
39"
99 cms |
33 7⁄8"
86 cms |
|
Listed Price: £5,700 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
-
Stock: 15906
A large and imposing fireplace in Belgian black marble. This striking fireplace has a very deep shelf which rests on freestanding fluted columns which are mounted with ormolu capitals and collars, which echo the subtle ormolu embellishments on the frieze. This frames the stepped bolection ingrounds. A true statement piece.
Belgian, late 19th century.
View our collection of: Antique French chimneypieces inc. Louis XVI, French Empire fireplace mantels.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
69 7⁄8"
177.5 cms |
50"
127 cms |
17 1⁄2"
44.5 cms |
| Internal |
36 11⁄16"
93.3 cms |
23 5⁄8"
60 cms |
|
Listed Price: £18,000 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
-
Sold
Stock: 16360
A simple and elegant bolection fireplace in a soft beige composition stone, resembling a polished limestone. The perfect addition to a contemporary or period interior.
English, c.1930.
View our collection of: Antique Baroque Chimneypieces inc English, Italian, French, Flemish Bolection fireplace mantels.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
53 7⁄8"
137 cms |
39 5⁄8"
100.6 cms |
5 3⁄16"
13.1 cms |
| Internal |
43 3⁄16"
109.8 cms |
33 13⁄16"
85.9 cms |
|
-
Sold
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.
|
width |
height |
depth |
| External |
64"
162.6 cms |
44"
111.7 cms |
4"
10.2 cms |
| Internal |
48"
122 cms |
36"
91.4 cms |
|
-
Sold
Stock: 15946
An antique bolection fireplace in boldly veined green verde antico marble.
English, c.1930.
View our collection of: Antique Baroque Chimneypieces inc English, Italian, French, Flemish Bolection fireplace mantels.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
65 11⁄16"
167 cms |
47 13⁄16"
121.5 cms |
3 7⁄8"
10 cms |
| Internal |
53 7⁄8"
137 cms |
41 13⁄16"
106.2 cms |
|
-
Stock: 15701
An elegant antique Louis XIV fireplace in Rosso Verona marble, which has a beautifully mottled appearance. The fireplace is of the French Baroque style, with a rounded moulded opening and simply carved spandrels.
French, mid-19th century.
View our collection of: Antique Baroque Chimneypieces inc English, Italian, French, Flemish Bolection fireplace mantels.
.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
59 3⁄8"
151 cms |
39 13⁄16"
101 cms |
15 3⁄8"
39 cms |
| Internal |
44 1⁄2"
113 cms |
31 11⁄16"
80.5 cms |
|
Listed Price: £5,500 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
-
Stock: 15707
An elegant and finely moulded bolection fireplace carved from a warm grey marble, with pale coral and crystalline veining.
English, 20th century.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
71 3⁄16"
180.8 cms |
53 1⁄2"
136 cms |
3 11⁄16"
9.5 cms |
| Internal |
53 7⁄8"
136.8 cms |
44 1⁄4"
112.5 cms |
|
Listed Price: £9,500 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
-
Sold
Stock: 15324
A simple and elegant bolection fireplace carved from a dove grey limestone. The polished and undulating surface reveals the subtle veining and mottling, which would be just as well suited to a contemporary interior as a period one. English, c.1930.
Provenance: Removed from a property on Eaton Square, London.
The Queen Anne style of the late 17th century saw the emergence of the simple bolection fireplace, often situated within a panelled room. It was far more simple in design that what had preceded it, and it was this striking simplicity that secured its enduring popularity.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
|
61"
155 cms |
47"
119.5 cms |
3"
7.6 cms |
|
|
|
|
-
Sold
Stock: 15416
An elegant and large Bolection fire surround in warm, cream coloured Italian Travertine with evidence of sedimentary deposits, the outer moulding sweeping in to a cushioned frame around the wide opening.
English, or possibly Italian, early 20th century.
Travertine is a sedimentary form of limestone usually deposited by mineral springs. The Italian quarry of Guidonia Montecello was one of the quarries chosen by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in the building of the famous Colonnade of St. Peter's Square in Rome in 1656–1667 and Michelangelo also chose Travertine as the material for the external ribs of the dome of St Peter's Basilica.
Link to: Antique Baroque Chimneypieces inc English, Italian, French, Flemish Bolection fireplace mantels.
.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
63 7⁄8"
162.4 cms |
42 1⁄2"
108 cms |
3 1⁄2"
9 cms |
| Internal |
47 3⁄16"
120 cms |
36 3⁄16"
92 cms |
|
-
Stock: 7444
A fine limestone Baroque style chimneypiece with a boldly carved central cartouche on the panelled frieze flanked by acanthus style detail on the endblocks above tapering panelled jambs.
French, circa 1880.
Link to: Antique Baroque Chimneypieces inc English, Italian, French, Flemish Bolection fireplace mantels.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
61"
154.9 cms |
43 1⁄4"
109.9 cms |
11"
27.9 cms |
| Internal |
42 13⁄16"
108.6 cms |
33"
83.8 cms |
|
Listed Price: £7,500 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
-
Sold
Stock: 8153
A very large Baroque style Victorian bolection chimneypiece in darkly hued Ashburton Marble. The wide simply moulded shelf rests above a deep panelled frieze beneath which is a flat moulded bolection surround centred by a keystone supported on integral footblocks. English, circa 1850.
Image before restoration.
Ashburton Marble: In 1852 a Devon newspaper 'The Western Times', reported that some large blocks of marble had been excavated from quarries adjoining the ancient Stannary Town of Ashburton. It was suggested at the time that the marble be used for the making of chimneypieces as the veins and colour were considered very decorative and superior to that found in any other quarry in South Devon.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
90 3⁄16"
229 cms |
62 3⁄16"
158 cms |
8 1⁄8"
20.5 cms |
| Internal |
66 1⁄8"
168 cms |
40 3⁄16"
102 cms |
|
-
Stock: 7566
A grand 17th century Italian bolection fireplace, carved from a beautiful Rosso Verona marble. The scrolled bracketed frieze supporting a large moulded shelf over a deeply moulded Bolection on plain footblocks. A near pair available.
Italian, 17th century bolection surmounted by a later entabluture and shelf.
Provenance: From an Italian Palazzo.
Link to: Antique Baroque Chimneypieces inc English, Italian, French, Flemish Bolection fireplace mantels.
|
width |
height |
depth |
| external |
81"
205.7 cms |
75 11⁄16"
192.4 cms |
9 1⁄4"
23.5 cms |
| internal |
56 3⁄16"
142.8 cms |
51 3⁄8"
130.5 cms |
|
Listed Price: £18,500 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
-
Sold
Stock: 10819
A wide moulded Bolection chimneypiece in veined green Tinos Verde Marble the jambs raised on shaped footblocks. English circa 1860.
Link to: Antique Baroque Chimneypieces inc English, Italian, French, Flemish Bolection fireplace mantels.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
63"
160 cms |
42 7⁄8"
109 cms |
5 1⁄8"
13 cms |
| Internal |
51 3⁄16"
130 cms |
37"
94 cms |
|
-
Stock: 7788
A Baroque style antique fireplace surround in softly hued variegated Languedoc Marble with round brass side vents. The prominent, slow arched fireplace opening, with raised triangle detail carved on the spandrels, is flanked by recessed jambs supported on curved footblocks.
French, mid 19th century.
Shown here with fire basket 14851 not included.
Link to: Antique Baroque Chimneypieces inc English, Italian, French, Flemish Bolection fireplace mantels.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
61 3⁄16"
155.5 cms |
43 7⁄8"
111.5 cms |
14 13⁄16"
37.5 cms |
| Internal |
45 1⁄4"
115 cms |
35 13⁄16"
91 cms |
|
Listed Price: £5,600 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
-
Stock: 8279
A strikingly tall, Louis XIV 'Bolection de Versailles' antique cheminee in richly figured Campan Rouge et Vert marble surmounted by moulded shelf beneath which is a deep fluted concave frieze ,with large acanthus decoration at either end, resting on the bold panelled and moulded bolection.
French, circa 1830.
Photo before restoration and shown here with andirons 12467 not included.
Link to: Antique Baroque Chimneypieces inc English, Italian, French, Flemish Bolection fireplace mantels.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
61 11⁄16"
156.8 cms |
59 3⁄8"
151 cms |
12 13⁄16"
32.4 cms |
| Internal |
44"
111.8 cms |
42 1⁄2"
108 cms |
|
Listed Price: £14,000 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
-
Stock: 12115
A wide Louis XV style Baroque Revival stone fireplace mantel. The moulded shelf rests on a simple frieze above a gently arched opening and is supported by a pair of stop fluted jambs. French, late 19th century.
Shown here with andirons SNo 9881 not included.
Link to: Antique Baroque Chimneypieces inc English, Italian, French, Flemish Bolection fireplace mantels.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
65 5⁄8"
166.5 cms |
43 7⁄8"
111.5 cms |
11 13⁄16"
30 cms |
| Internal |
51 5⁄8"
131 cms |
35 3⁄8"
90 cms |
|
Listed Price: £8,500 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
-
Sold
Stock: 14737
A Baroque style Ashburton Marble antique Bolection fireplace surround in the soft pale pinks and greys typical of the finer examples of this marble most likely to have come from the Lindhay Quarry in Devon in south west England.
English, late 19th century.
Notes: In 1852 a Devon newspaper 'The Western Times', reported that some large blocks of marble had been excavated from quarries adjoining the ancient Stannary Town of Ashburton. It was suggested at the time that the marble be used for the making of chimneypieces as the veins and colour were considered very decorative and superior to that found in any other quarry in South Devon. This marble was still being quarried at the Linhay Quarry into the late 20th century.
Link to: Antique Baroque Chimneypieces inc English, Italian, French, Flemish Bolection fireplace mantels.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
58"
147.2 cms |
45 1⁄4"
115 cms |
5 1⁄8"
13 cms |
| Internal |
41 7⁄8"
106.5 cms |
37 13⁄16"
96 cms |
|
-
Stock: 14789
A tall and substantial Victorian mahogany fireplace surround and overmantel in the Baroque style. The plain frieze beneath a dentilled under-shelf, centred by a cabochon and mythical beast plaque, is flanked by carved endblocks above reeded columns raised on tall footblocks. The overmantel with a moulded shelf above a dentil band and with a strapwork and foliate decorated panel flanked by tapering reeded pilasters beneath alternating lion masks and oval medallion bands. English, late 19th century.
Link to: Antique Victorian, William IV and Edwardian fireplaces and chimneypieces.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
65 11⁄16"
167 cms |
82 7⁄8"
210.5 cms |
8 5⁄8"
21.8 cms |
| Internal |
43"
109.3 cms |
40 3⁄16"
102 cms |
|
Listed Price: £7,500 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
-
Sold
Stock: 14277
A grand Baroque style antique fireplace mantel in luxuriously veined Portoro Marble with a wide moulded shelf above a panelled frieze centred by a roundel. Flanking the frieze are square paterae endblocks above very large c- scrolled angled jambs supported on sturdy footblocks framing the wide shaped fireplace opening. French, mid 19th century.
Shown with fire grate SNo 14266 not included in the price.
Link to: Antique Baroque Chimneypieces inc English, Italian, French, Flemish Bolection fireplace mantels.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
69 1⁄4"
176 cms |
44 11⁄16"
113.5 cms |
18 7⁄8"
48 cms |
| Internal |
38 3⁄8"
97.5 cms |
31 1⁄4"
79.5 cms |
|
-
Sold
Stock: 14803
A large antique moulded Bolection fireplace surround in pale green Connemara Marble, raised on solid foot blocks. Together with its integral fender. Shown here with andirons SNo 14528 not included.
English. late 19th century.
Link to: Antique Baroque Chimneypieces inc English, Italian, French, Flemish Bolection fireplace mantels.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
65 7⁄8"
167.5 cms |
48"
122 cms |
3"
7.5 cms |
| Internal |
50 13⁄16"
129 cms |
40 5⁄8"
103 cms |
|
-
Sold
Stock: 9726
A tall but slim Victorian Tinos Verde Marble Baroque style antique Bolection fireplace surround. English, late 19th century.
Link to: Antique Baroque Chimneypieces inc English, Italian, French, Flemish Bolection fireplace mantels.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
37"
94 cms |
42 1⁄4"
107.5 cms |
2 13⁄16"
7 cms |
| Internal |
27 3⁄16"
69 cms |
36"
91.5 cms |
|
-
Sold
Stock: 14736
An elegant early 20th century moulded Pavonazzo Marble, Baroque style bolection chimneypiece. The name Pavonazzo derives from the Italian word for peacock, pavone. It is one of the many varieties of Carrara Marble being white with grey and black veining. English, circa 1920.
Link to: Antique Baroque Chimneypieces inc English, Italian, French, Flemish Bolection fireplace mantels.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
50 13⁄16"
129 cms |
42 5⁄8"
108.2 cms |
3 11⁄16"
9.5 cms |
| Internal |
35"
89 cms |
34 13⁄16"
88.5 cms |
|
-
Stock: 14414
An imposing and profusely carved French Baroque style fireplace surround in lightly veined white Carrara Marble with an upper coffered stop fluted frieze and stepped entablature above an arched egg and dart band.
The fine quality clock, set within an arched niche framed by a foliate edged band above the garlanded frieze, strikes the hour and the half hour on a single bell. The clock face has gilt Roman numerals on a marble bed within a gilt egg and tongue frame. The delicately pierced hands are finely engraved with foliate detail and the clock is stamped on the movement Bailly Sr De Weibel, Breveté S.G.O.G. A Lyon.
The opening is edged with a finely carved leaf and berry band and the jambs each have two tapering, garlanded grotesque terms to the front and the sides terminating in large lion claw feet resting on stepped footblocks. Shown here with andirons SNo12527 not included in the price.
French, circa 1870.
Link to: Antique Baroque Chimneypieces inc English, Italian, French, Flemish Bolection fireplace mantels.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
66 7⁄8"
170 cms |
60 3⁄16"
153 cms |
21 1⁄4"
54 cms |
| Internal |
37"
94 cms |
36 3⁄16"
92 cms |
|
-
Stock: 10915
A rare 18th century Italian Baroque fireplace mantel in finely carved Statuary Marble. The moulded arched shelf forms the upper part of a full width serpentine frieze which is centred by a high prominent shell cartouche, flanked by profusely carved flowers, grape vines and ears of wheat representing summer and autumn. Carved in low relief at each end of the frieze are winged mythical dragons and to the side are vases of flowers beneath which are elaborate angled c-scrolled jambs decorated with masks of grotesques holding ropes of fruits in their mouths and there are trails of tumbling berries and leaves down the sides. Shown together with andirons SNo 12527 not included with the price. Italian mid 18th century.
Link to: Antique Baroque Chimneypieces inc English, Italian, French, Flemish Bolection fireplace mantels.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
64 3⁄16"
163 cms |
46 7⁄8"
119 cms |
9 13⁄16"
25 cms |
| Internal |
41 1⁄4"
105 cms |
37 13⁄16"
96 cms |
|
-
Sold
Stock: 14438
A Baroque Louis XV antique fireplace mantel in grey and white Arabascato Marble. The shaped moulded shelf above a panelled frieze with a central cartouche set above the serpentine opening flanked by twin panelled jambs. French early 19th century.
Link to: Antique Rococo Chimneypieces inc Louis XV English Scottish Chippendale Rococo fireplace mantels.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
49 5⁄8"
126 cms |
41 1⁄8"
104.5 cms |
17 1⁄4"
44 cms |
| Internal |
36 5⁄8"
93 cms |
34 13⁄16"
88.5 cms |
|
-
Stock: 14148
A rather large but low 20th century Travertine Marble Bolection fireplace mantel.
English, circa 1930.
Link to: Antique Baroque Chimneypieces inc English, Italian, French, Flemish Bolection fireplace mantels.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
62"
157.5 cms |
38 3⁄16"
97 cms |
3 1⁄4"
8.5 cms |
| Internal |
48"
122 cms |
31 1⁄8"
79 cms |
|
Listed Price: £3,200 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
-
Sold
Stock: 14248
A grand richly coloured and carved Rosso Levanto marble antique chimneypiece in the Baroque style., with a central scrolled cartouche on the panelled frieze, beneath a generous breakfront serpentine shaped shelf, with a pair of massive c-scrolled angled jambs flanking the graceful slow arched opening. Shown with fire grate SNo 14374. French mid 19th century.
Notes: Richly coloured and veined Rosso Levanto Marble is quarried throughout southern Europe and is often used for interior walls, floors, mosaics, fountains and fireplaces.
Link to: Antique Baroque Chimneypieces inc English, Italian, French, Flemish Bolection fireplace mantels.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
70 7⁄8"
180 cms |
43 1⁄2"
110.5 cms |
17 7⁄8"
45.5 cms |
| Internal |
41 1⁄4"
105 cms |
32 11⁄16"
83 cms |
|
-
Stock: 8024
A large and striking Flemish dark polished fossil stone Baroque Mannerist antique chimneypiece, with double contra scrolling tapering jambs terminating in tall moulded foot blocks, supporting a later barrelled integral frieze and shelf centred by a magnificent lions mask.
Flemish part 16th century and later.
Link to: Antique Baroque Chimneypieces inc English, Italian, French, Flemish Bolection fireplace mantels.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
90"
228.6 cms |
77"
195.6 cms |
20"
50.8 cms |
| Internal |
66"
167.6 cms |
66"
167.6 cms |
|
-
Stock: 10720
An 18th century French Baroque Louis XIV limestone fireplace mantel. The moulded shelf is integral to the frieze which is centred by a shell cartouche and is carved from the solid. The fire surround is supported on panelled jambs. French circa 1780.
Link to: Antique Baroque Chimneypieces inc English, Italian, French, Flemish Bolection fireplace mantels.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
61 3⁄16"
155.5 cms |
41 1⁄4"
105 cms |
12 3⁄16"
31 cms |
| Internal |
51 3⁄16"
130 cms |
36 3⁄16"
92 cms |
|
Listed Price: £6,700 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
-
Stock: 7340
A very large bolection fireplace surround in pink Scottish granite.
Scottish, circa 1930.
Link to: Antique Baroque Chimneypieces inc English, Italian, French, Flemish Bolection fireplace mantels.
|
Width |
Height |
Depth |
| External |
68 1⁄2"
174 cms |
58 1⁄4"
148 cms |
6 11⁄16"
17 cms |
| Internal |
48 3⁄8"
123 cms |
48 3⁄8"
123 cms |
|
Listed Price: £4,600 (+VAT where applicable)
More info?
Antique Baroque design, which evolved in the 1600s, was preceded by the Mannerist movement and followed by the Rococo style. Grand and impressive, it orginated in Italy and subsequently developed in France, Germany, Bohemia, Poland, Spain, the Ukraine, Belgium and England. Architects such as Wren, ( St Pauls Cathedral ) Vanbrugh, ( Castle Howard ) & Hawksmoor, ( St Lukes, Spitalfields ) revelled in its grandeur.
An Antique Baroque fireplace, chimneypiece or mantels from our large collection would add an element of drama to any home or property.
The Baroque Style
The Baroque style emerged in Italy as a product of the Counter-Reformation movement. Despite its religious foundations, the style was rapidly adopted over Europe for secular and civic architecture.
It is a grand, monumental style, characterised by bold curved shapes and was a striking departure from the classical restraint of the Renaissance. In England, the Baroque fireplace is often described as Queen Anne in style, as her reign coincided with the arrival of the Baroque on British soil.
The Bolection Fireplace
The bolection fireplace is perhaps best known and best loved in Britain, adored for its simple form consisting of curved moulded jambs and a matching frieze.
Typically, a bolection fireplace does not require a shelf, but often slightly grander incarnations were designed to accommodate a shelf, and even an entablature. Today, a bolection fire surround can be used in both a period style of a contemporary home, as the timeless form of the simple surround does not dominate an interior but rather provides harmony. When selecting a bolection, antique examples were carved by hand from beautiful rare marbles and are infinitely more beautiful.
The Mannerist Style
The Mannerist style preceded the Baroque and mannerist fireplaces were still entwined with the classical past and the High Renaissance, motifs after the antique were incorporated with bolder, more curvaceous designs. They are therefore often more elaborate in form and carving than the later Baroque antique fireplace, and perhaps better suited to a more opulent interior.