Le Louvre French Antiques

Sometimes referred to as a dormer, this zinc oeil de boeuf window frame is from France, circa 1890. First used during the 17th century, the dormer...

Hand-carved in Italy during the 1900’s, this small marble lobed basin would make a great vide-poche. A vide-poche (literally “empty pocket”) is a small storage bowl for everyday items, such as car keys, loose change, wallets, etc. A marble basin of this size might have originally been used in a Catholic church as a holy water vessel. The gadrooned lobes carved along the outside give the appearance of a stylized scalloped shell. On the back of the shell is an excavated block of marble, which is how the basin would have been affixed to a wall. The beautiful beige colored marble with burgundy inclusions and white veining has been carved with a quarter round molding along the rim. A versatile item, our small Italian marble shell basin...

Hand-carved in Italy, this beautiful marble sundial has a turned iron gnomon that mirrors a thin twisted rope molding along the outer edges. Beneath the gnomon attachment are colored inserts that form a blue, red, yellow, and green compass rose, providing a colorful contrast to the cream marble with subtle tan and gray veining. As the earth rotates on its axis, the gnomon casts a shadow onto the marble which is incised with Roman Numerals on a stylized scroll. Directly under the tip of the angled gnomon is “XII”, indicating noon. The numbers to the left of XII run counterclockwise, starting with “VI”. On the opposite side, the numerals continue in a counterclockwise manner, terminating in a second “VI” (which would be PM if the sundial...

Hand-carved by an Italian stone mason, this quaint limestone horsehead has excellent proportions. The contour of the cheek, the thick mane, and the slightly open mouth give the head a sense of realism. Carved with amazing precision, the horse can stand upright (face up) without the aid of a stand. Of course, it can also be hung on a wall in the proper orientation. Decorative horse heads of this size were often seen hanging on the exterior wall of a horse barn.

This wonderful pair of barbotine figural vases was hand-sculpted and painted in France, circa 1890. The main bodies of the vases have a flowering tree on a white and blue background ...

A stemma is a written record of a family tree that can be traced back to ancient Rome when they recorded such genealogical information on scrolls. In the Middle Ages, coat of arms be...

Reminiscent of a late 15th century coat of arms, this double eagle cartouche plaque has been hand-carved in limestone in Italy. A square top shield wi...

This monumental Italian wall fountain was hand-carved in verona rossa marble in the early 1900’s. Truly the work of a master mason, the fountain is comprised of three thick pieces of richly carved marble, with each piece weighing several hundred pounds. The marble has lovely salmon color with cream inclusions that has developed a soft patina. The 3 ¼” deep back wall is adorned with a repetitive C-scroll border. A winged lion mascaron hovers above a geometric panel filled with nondescript interlaced carvings. Below the panel is a scalloped shell with sprawling barbed rinceaux that flows between a pair of volute scrolls on the edge of the wall. The shell has a small, incised circle where a spout or tap can be placed, depending on the desired use. Beneath the vertical wall is an 8 ½” thick sinuous bowl embellished with thick quarter round molding. The front façade has a stylized coat of arms consisting of a shaped shield emblazoned with a fleur de lys. Inside the basin, the back wall has been carved with a pair of volute C-scrolls surrounding bundled leaves. At the base of the leaves is a small drainage hole. Three volutes highlight the luxurious column that sits on a rectangular plinth with two canted corners. All three volutes are in the traditional S-shape, with two of them flanking the larger channeled scroll. A small fleur de lys graces the front of the plinth, which has gently sloped top edges. There is a thin grooved molding near the base. A natural conversation piece for any courtyard or garden setting, the Renaissance style Italian wall fountain can be used indoors or outside. It could also be used as a large sink...

Salvaged from a villa on the Amalfi Coast in Southern Italy, this beautiful marble bust was hand-carved in the 1600’s. Our subject has a cloak wrapped around his shoulders and is depicted looking slightly to his left and upwards. The bust sits atop a classically inspired iron Stand with a large circular base (held into place with a bolt system). Resembling a Corinthian order column, the Stand has been embellished with a fluted column with an acanthus capital. With an excavated back and weathered patina, our 17th century Italian bust was originally part of a larger outdoor sculpture installation. Some old Italian residences (such as Villas Cimbrone...

This fantastic faience jardiniere and pedestal were hand-painted in Boulogne, France (formally “Boulogne-sur-Mer”) in the late 1800’s. The vibrant set features heraldic displays set among foliate and floral illustrations. Both the pedestal and the jardiniere have white backgrounds festooned with green leaves and blue, yellow, orange, and purple flowers. The opening of the jardiniere has asymmetrical edges dotted by small piercings, with flowering vines painted along the inner rim. Exquisite handles, comprised of curled leaves and C-scrolls, are affixed to the sides of the lobed body. Numerous painted motifs grace the area between the handles, including drapery, scrolls, and floral baskets hanging from an arabesque border. Equally impressive décor can be seen on the tetrapartite stand with a molded top. Each layer of the molding has a different color scheme, ranging from yellow with volute embellishments to solid green. The neck of the stand has been adorned with floral displays above multi-colored scrolls, shells, and scalloped leaves. In the center of each scalloped leaf is a distinct heraldic shield: on one side is a French style shield representing the city of Boulogne, with a swan that symbolizes perfection. On the opposite side is coat of arms topped by a closed crown, emblazoned with a five-fold cross over three roundels, which is the coat of arms for Godfrey of Bouillon, the first ruler of Jerusalem, who was born in Boulogne. Beneath the coat of arms are a pair of scrolled feet adorned with scalloped leaves and scrolls. There are two more feet to the sides that have pierced elements with floral vines beneath. Our 19th century hand-painted faience jardiniere on pedestal...

Hand-carved from Italian limestone, this coat of arms plaque with crown and eagle features both bas- and mid-relief motifs. Bas-relief is a sculptu...

These fabulous French table lamps are in the shape of architecturals called corbels. They are made from a cast Terra Cotta and are patinated to look exactly like the color of stone. ...

This hand-painted Delft vase was produced in the Netherlands in the 1700’s. Delft is a city in the western part of the Netherlands that is world-renowned for ceramic pieces. As a home port of the Dutch East India Company, Delft was at the forefront of producing faience wares, which were influenced by imported Chinese porcelain. The prototypical Delftware has a white background with hand-painted cobalt blue imagery, though they can also be found in multi-colored or “polychrome” variations, such as ours. Our baluster form vase has a hand painted scene depicting a woman in a flowing dress walking across a field. The scene is surrounded by flowers, curled leaves, and a diapered background with flowering vine offshoots. On the opposite side of the baluster is a large flowering vine. The lid has a rural life cartouche that is painted with a scene depicting a farm overlooking a field or body of water . The handle of the lid has a similarly colored bird perched on a sinuous branch, while pecking at a berry. This particular design was seen on many delft baluster...

This decorative 20th century composition stone statue of a Roman soldier stands roughly 3 feet tall. The figure in this statue was quite possibly a Praetorian Guard, which were the b...

This handmade and painted dish comes from the South of France. It is an enameled ceramic made of a mixture of clay and fine sands. The upper portion of the woman is removable for tea...

This handmade and painted dish comes from the South of France. It is an enameled ceramic made of a mixture of clay and fine sands. If you want to Cook, you must remove the top and pl...

This highly detailed pair of two-arm, French wrought iron sconces have been given gilt highlights. They date to the 1940’ and their motifs include several series of C-scrolls. The ba...

This elegant pair of colorful German Meissen, seven-arm candelabras dates to the early 1900s. The gros relief intricacy and thinness of the porcelain flower heads, leaves and fruit is absolutely astounding. There are flat paintings...

This bright Capodimonte porcelain group of four putti and a goat symbolizes abundance and the spirit of life. Capodimonte was originally an 18th century Italian porcelain...

These stunning and very large sconces in the form of cornucopia with fruit have been hand-carved from European oak. The chipped cream painted finish that has been added at some point...