Hand-Carved Fireplaces and Mantels

Antique Mantle Fireplace, richly carved in Burgundy stone, with central shell plus 2 shells on the sides, carved wavy, original from the 18th century, There are no sides (to be walle...

Monumental antique wood fireplace mantel 10" tall from Northern France. This is an amazing fireplace mantel with two circular carved ...

Timeless bicolor grey stone fireplace surround. The straight lines, simplicity, of this small fireplace are perfect fit for timeless interiors. The b...

19th century fine English Victorian statuary honed marble fireplace surround. Hand carved with fluted pilasters tapered jambs. With fine ornamental tablets On recessed paneling above...

A unusual small original antique French country hard limestone LXIII style fireplace surround. Perfect for a small space. Measures: 100 cm EW 39.37" 128 cm EH 50.39" 73 cm IW 28....

This fine Pompadour style vintage fireplace mantle has been made out of brown Belgian marble. It is from the 19th century and was installed in...

A small and fine burgundy bicolor hard stone vintage fireplace surround. The surface is hammered and tailler. It was built in the Louis XIII period, 17th century. Measures: 130,5 cm ...

19th Century Louis Petite Carrara Marble Fireplace Mantlepiece. An Authentic English Made Antique Dated Circa 1860. Louis XV Petite (Loire) French Design Fireplace Surround Made Fro...

Small French Louis Phillipe demi-lune antique fireplace surround from the 19th century. A honey color hard limestone which reflects the light of the room and brings authenticity in t...

Very nice antique reclaimed fireplace surround with straight lines from the Beaujolais region. Coming from the town Buxy. The Buxy stone w...

This authentic 19th-century French fireplace mantel is hand-carved from deep black Belgian marble, renowned for its mirror-like polish and luxurious depth of tone. The surface reflec...

An 18th century French Caen Stone Provincial Fireplace. The cantered jambs with stop fluted front panels and carved raised panels. The frieze serpentine in design with raised panelle...

An Irish antique fireplace from the Regency period in Italian Carrara and Siena marbles. The jambs with demi lune reeded panels on book matched...

A very late 18th or turn of the 19th century English fireplace In Italian Statuary white marble. The plain pilaster jambs stood on separate foot blocks, surmounted by carved roundel ...

A late Regency period Carrara marble fireplace surround, the stepped shelf above panelled frieze with elegant shallow arch with applied foliate roundel to the centre, the jambs with ...

21st Century Black Granite Fireplace Mantlepiece The Cool Beauty Of This Hand Carved Stone Fireplace, A Versatile Choice For Period Or Modern Settings. Georgian-influenced, It Has ...

Hand-carved in the style of Louis XVI, this striking French wood mantel dates to the 1900s. Decorative motifs during the reign of Louis XVI were inspired by ancient civilizations (Ro...

A large antique profusely carved oak fireplace surround in the Jacobean style Made during the Victorian period in England, incorporating 17th century and 18th century carved elements...

Antique Lecce stone fireplace, small size, with leaf bas-reliefs, so it can be installed in any interior, original from the 1800s, from southern Italy, maximum outside measurement L ...

With its beautifully hand carved tablet and intricate details, this wooden mantel in the Georgian style is a spectacular surround for a large room. It features a rich caramel brown c...

An exquisite example of early 19th-century English craftsmanship, this Neoclassical marble Fireplace mantel combines stately proportions with refined decorative details. Crafted from...

An original Victorian era Gothic Revival sandstone fire mantel circa 1880, with ornate column-style jambs, decorative foliate spandrels and a dramatic arched fireplace opening with carved bust to the top. Sourced from a property in the North of England, this antique York stone fireplace...

Large Double-Slip Georgian Style Fireplace Surround in finest quality Italian Violette Brescia Marble. Measures: Depth: 8” – 20.3 cm External Height...

A stunning late 19th century Jacobean style antique oak fireplace, beautifully handcarved with herm style caryatids to the jambs, lion masks to the end blocks and a cartouche to the ...

20th Century, Hand Carved Statuary Marble English Fireplace. Hand carved statuary white marble fireplace surround. (Two available) Have you ever dreamt of owning a sculptural masterpiece as magnificent as this fireplace believed to be a replica of The Original Fireplace...

Late Georgian, early Victorian style English made fireplace mantel. English made with impressive white limestone. Hand-carved with columns giving an elegant understated appearance. ...

Antique fireplace in white Carrara marble, sculpted with a simple geometric shape but of great elegance as it was used at the time, built completely by hand in the mid-19th century for a palace in Italy (precisely Liguria) complete with original marble threshold (Black cast iron chest...

This exceptional Neo-Renaissance style fireplace comes from the Péclavé castle in the town of Samazan in the Aquitaine region. The castle b...

An exceptional carved chimney piece with mirror above, inspired by the Chinese room of Claydon. The elaborate carved decoration following the style of Luke Lightfoot...

This exquisite 18th century French Regency fireplace surround is crafted from a striking bicolor bleu-grey hard stone, celebrated for its depth of tone and natural variation. Its ref...

20th Century Georgian Style Hand-Carved White Marble Fireplace Mantelpiece This unique fireplace made to order and produced under license from Kenwood House Hampstead, London. Finely...

American brass and polished steel fire tools resting on a turned urn finial marble stand. Set consist of poker, tong and shovel, Early 19th Century.

Rare 18th century antique French Louis XVI fireplace mantel. Hand-carved in desirable St Anne's marble. Delicately carved recessed Jambs and Frieze; with elegantly carved centre shel...

A distinguished English neoclassical fireplace mantel exquisitely carved in luminous Statuario marble and inlaid with striking panels of richly veined Brocatello marble. The composit...

A striking and quite exceptional Georgian, pine and gesso chimneypiece, the frieze carved with a musical motif that consists, amongst other things, a lyre, laurel leaves, oboes and s...

Ancient monumental fireplace, large hand-sculpted mantle with noble coats of arms and caryatids in Serena stone, from Tuscany (Italy), original from the 16th century, the patina and ...

Monumental figures fireplace Neo-Renaissance 19th century walnut -hight 111 inch. Solid walnut body flanked by a fully plastic male figures / atla...

Ancient fireplace in precious wood, richly carved with satyr on the central pediment and tapered columns with capital, hand carved in the 19th century in Italy. Of wood, therefore v...

A petite, hand carved Georgian style pine fire mantel salvaged from a townhouse in Bath, UK. This elegant wooden fireplace is over 150 years old and has beautifully preserved details including floral embellishments to the corner blocks, stylised dentals and lambs tongue carving. Highly ornate, this antique Georgian fireplace...

A Late Eighteenth Century, Pine and Gesso Chimneypiece with Fluted Pilaster Columns and a Central Tablet Depicting Venus, or Perhaps Aurora, on a Chariot With swags of the vineyard ...

A Large Italian 19th century neoclassical Revival style carved Carrara marble figural wall console table. The rectangular marble top supported by twin Roman carved marble monopodiums...

19th Century Louis Marble Fireplace Mantlepiece 19th Century Statuary White Marble Fireplace ThIs Victorian Louis XV Style Marble Fireplace Is Hand Carv...

Antique monumental fireplace, of great value and great size, in beige stone carved entirely by hand, wavy legs and protruding hat with large molure, built in the late 1500s / early 1...

Beautiful late 18th century Louis XV Parisian rouge marble fireplace mantelpiece and cast-iron interior. This French fireplace mantel boas...

A handsome antique English oak fireplace beam carved in the arts and crafts style, perfect for an inglenook fireplace. With its medium golden oak colour, this reclaimed oak fireplace...

Rustic stone fireplace surround from the 17th Century. The beige hard limestone brings instant French slow living feeling in the room. Measureme...

English Georgian Pine Classical mantle with original carved gesso, foliage, and medallion motif. Late 18th Century. Overall measurements- 67.25" Wide at top / 7.25" Deep at top /...

Beautiful 18th Century Georgian Period Pickled Pine Fireplace Mantle The firebox is 38" wide x 36" Tall

18th Century Large Mantle Regence Chateau Hand Carved Stone Antique Fireplace , Rare and unique French antique castle fireplace Louis Regence Transition Louis XV Period Limestone Chi...

Louis XV style mantel in onyx This fireplace is sold with its original cast iron insert and with its marble floor.

Elegant carved wooden fireplace dating from the end of the 18th century, made of fir and walnut. Its pediment is decorated with a rich carved decoration of foliage scrolls and a cent...

Provenance: Stair & Company, Inc. New York, NY, private collection, gifted to Telfair Museums, c. 1977. The elegant moulded breakfront shelf with an egg and dart and a beaded motifs...

Important and precious antique mantel fireplace, richly hand-carved in white Carrara marble, The precious white Carrara marble is known throughout the world for its uniform pure whit...

Antique Georgian carved fireplace surround in pine. This wooden fireplace surround features finely carved detailing, reeded columns, a bow-fronted shelf and panelled frieze. A hand...

American white pine sunburst mantel piece with carved molded edge top, decorative carved urns and flanking fluted capital ringed columns. Early 19th Centu...

Made from veined Carrara marble and white statuary marble. The centre plaque with a well carved mask of Apollo surrounded by a sunburst. The console jambs are under fluted corbels...

A Stylish & Elegant English Queen Anne Style Bolection Fireplace Surround in Nicely Veined Italian Arabescato Marble, with a Deep Shelf. External Width: 57 3/4″ – 147 cm Depth: 7″ –...

An opulent Louis XV period fireplace mantel masterfully carved in richly colored San Giorgio Breccia marble, dating to circa 1740. This exquisite example of Rococo craftsmanship feat...

A Highly Important Empire Period Rosso Antico Chimneypiece Inset with Specimen Marble Portrait Reliefs of Roman Emperors The carved and veneered surround comprising a moulded shelf supported by a bold dentil cornice, above an inverted breakfront frieze carved with a central triglyph panel, flanked by a pair of rosettes carved in shallow relief, the frieze mounted with six carved hardstone profile portrait medallions of Roman Emperors, the stop-fluted jambs raised on moulded footblocks; in excellent condition with small restorations commensurate with age and use; the pale inclusions in the stone naturally formed. This spectacular neoclassical marble chimneypiece is carved from Rosso antico, the frieze inset with six portrait reliefs of Roman Emperors, each carved in marmo giallo on a bardiglio background, five variously incised: VESPASIANUS, TIBERIVS, OTHO, JULIUS CAESAR, TITUS. Rosso antico (marmor taenarium) is first recorded as being quarried in 1700 BC at Akra Tainaron (Cape Matapan), Greece.¹ The majority of this stone, however, was extracted throughout the Roman period, when it was one of the most coveted materials for carving due to its rich red colouring and association with highly prized Egyptian ‘Imperial’ Porphyry.² Rosso antico was chosen in antiquity for portrait busts, notably depicting Bacchic subjects such as Dionysus and satyrs due to its rich red wine colour which symbolised conviviality whilst conveying the education and cultivated taste of the owner.³ In the Renaissance, Rosso antico was also used for architectural detail on important buildings, such as the steps leading up to the choir in the medieval church of S. Prassede, and the large columns at the entrance to the Camera dell'Aurora.⁴ In 121 AD, G. Suetonius Tranquillus, secretary to Emperor Hadrian, wrote a biographical history of the first twelve emperors of Rome entitled De vita Caesarum (The Twelve Caesars). A Renaissance edition of Tranquillus’ work was published in 1470, followed by further reprints and translations into all the main European languages. Many of these were illustrated with prints of emperors taken from coins and statues, or imagined by the artist based on Tranquillus’ accounts. These interpretations were copied, in turn, by Renaissance designers for medals, Limoges enamels, and busts, as well as paintings such as the Eleven Caesars, a series of eleven half-length portraits of Roman emperors made by Titian in 1536–40 for Federico II, Duke of Mantua.⁵ These paintings were later given to King Charles I, before being passed in the Commonwealth to the Kings of Spain. Unfortunately, the series was destroyed in the catastrophic fire of 1734 at the Royal Alcazar of Madrid, and is now only known through copies and engravings.⁶ From the middle of the 17th century until the end of the 18th century, there was an insatiable demand for marble carvings, often sold as Roman or assembled from ancient fragments, thus perpetuating the reverence for antiquity that was the quintessence of the Grand Tour. Rosso antico was in extremely short supply, even after the ancient quarries at Skutari were rediscovered in 1830, and remained one of the most highly valued of all stones. Described in 1776 as ‘dark red; scarce and dear’, it was mostly used for small objects such as Grand Tour desk ornaments, inevitably using material re-cut from classical fragments, due to its rarity, as was the case with porphyry.⁷ The portrait roundels on this chimneypiece are typical of those produced in Rome and Florence in hardstones, semi-precious stones, gold, silver, bronze, and mother-of-pearl, which, being easily transportable, would be taken home from the Grand Tour to be mounted within wooden, gilded or brass frames, as fashion dictated.⁸ A group of gold portraits of Caesars, dating from around 1660, are in the Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence. Images of Roman emperors were not limited to Italy, England and France, however, as examples executed in Deshima for the Dutch East India Company (Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie) show. Medallions depicting Roman emperors, invariably made of black and gold Japanese hiramakie or takamakie lacquer on copper, were produced for the Dutch market at the end of the 18th century. Examples can be found in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.⁹ There are two possible sources for the Imperial profiles on the chimneypiece: the engravings of The Twelve Caesars by Marcantonio Raimondi, or the Imperatorum Imagines by Hubert Golz.¹⁰ The portrait medallions also bear remarkable resemblance to a set of eighteen carved portrait reliefs of Roman Emperors, also of marmo giallo, almost certainly bought by David Ker (1742–1811) of Portavo, Co. Down, on his Grand Tour between 1792–4 in either Florence or Rome. Ker’s diary entry for 17th October 1793 is interesting as it reveals that he was offering his brother a choice of chimneypiece designs, which further supports a Roman origin for the offered example.¹¹ Indeed, fire surrounds incorporating antique fragments had been promoted from the late 1760s by Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720–78), encouraged by Rome-trained architects including Robert Adam (d.1792). One such example, inset with mythological tablets carved from Rosso antico, was acquired by the 9th Earl of Exeter from Piranesi himself for Burghley House.¹² Another can be found at Islington House, Dorset.¹³ A third, inset with giallo antico and Rosso antico, follows Piranesi’s engraved design dated 1769 for a fire surround mounted with three marble portrait reliefs.¹⁴ It should be re-emphasised that Rosso antico was so precious that it was only ever used for small tablets or details rather than an entire chimneypiece, as with the offered example; likewise, while portrait reliefs are occasionally seen on the jambs of Italian surrounds, it is exceptionally rare to see the frieze mounted with a group, especially of this scale: the combination indicates an architectural commission by an extremely wealthy patron. The sophisticated lines of this chimneypiece epitomise the French Empire influence on the Italian states at the turn of the 18th century. This idiosyncratic ‘Roman’ taste is encapsulated by that of Napoleon, who identified with Rome’s Imperial past. Napoleon’s desire to establish a visual link between himself and Roman emperors is demonstrated by the portraits of his court painter, Jacques-Louis David, inspired by portraits of Emperor Augustus. This Imperial taste extended to architecture, furniture and porcelain, the latter two of which are combined in a group of magnificent ormolu-mounted guéridons commissioned in Sèvres between 1803–11, made to immortalise Napoleon’s reign.¹⁵ The second guéridon in the series, the Table des Grands Capitaines (Table of the Great Commanders of Antiquity), commissioned in 1806, is made almost entirely of hard-paste Sèvres porcelain. The top, painted in imitation of sardonyx, is centred by a portrait cameo of Alexander the Great, surrounded by twelve smaller heads of commanders and philosophers from antiquity: Pericles, Scipio Africanus, Pompey, Augustus, Septimus Severus, Constantine, Trajan, Caesar, Mithridates, Hannibal, Themistocles and Miltiades.¹⁶ Louis XVIII presented the table to the Prince Regent (later King George IV) in 1817 as a token of appreciation for Napoleon’s defeat two years earlier, and George IV treasured it so highly that it became part of the ceremonial backdrop for all his state portraits. The table remains in the Royal Collection.¹⁷ This chimneypiece remained, until recently, in the possession of a noble Dutch family, who acquired it from the owners of a bombed Knightsbridge house in the 1940s; unfortunately, its provenance prior to this has been lost. The use of Rosso antico on this scale, inset with these splendid Imperial profile medallions, appears unparalleled. 1. J. B. Grossman, 'Looking at Greek and Roman Sculpture in Stone' (Los Angeles, 2003). Grossman states that this material was ‘...quarried in three places during antiquity: on Cape Tainaron present day Matapan on the Peloponnese of Greece; on Crete; and at the site of Iasos in Asia Minor. 2. L. Lazzarini, ‘Rosso antico and other red marbles used in antiquity: a characterization study’, Marble, Art Historical and Scientific Perspectives on Ancient Sculpture’ (1990), 237–252. C. Gorgoni, L. Lazzarini, P. Pallante, ‘New archaeometric data on Rosso antico and other red marbles used in antiquity, ASMOSIA VI, Interdisciplinary Studies on Ancient Stone’ (2002), pp. 199–206. J. Deér, trans. G.A. Gilhoff, The Dynastic Porphyry Tombs of the Norman Period in Sicily (Cambridge, 1959), p. 144. R. Gnoli, Marmora Romana (Rome, 1988), pp. 187–191. 3. A notable example is a satyr from the Emperor Hadrian's villa at Tivoli, now in the Capitoline Museum, Rome. Another is the head of a satyr in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, accession no. 2006.110. See T. Opper, Hadrian. Empire and Conflict (London, 2008), p. 165, fig. 149. 4. De Luca, Marmi antichi (Rome, 1998), p. 126. Faustino Corsi, Catalogo ragionato d’una collezione di pietre di decorazione (Rome, 1833), p. 93. 5. For related Limoges medallions, see set of ten circular Limoges enamel medallions depicting Roman emperors, en grisaille with gilding, from the workshop of Jacques I Laudin, sold Christie’s London, Fine Renaissance Bronzes and Works of Art, 19 December, 1977, lot 95. 6. See set of drawings sold Sotheby’s London, Of Royal and Noble Descent, 24 February, 2015, lot 184. 7. J. J. Ferber, Raspe’s Travels through Italy in the Years 1771–1772 (London, 1776), p. 218. 8. See Sotheby’s London, Pelham, the Public and the Private, 8 March 2016, lot 75: ‘A set of twelve mother-of-pearl cameos of Roman Emperors, Southern Italian, early 19th century’ 9. Oliver Impey, Christiaan J.A. Jörg, Cynthia Viallé, Japanese Export Lacquer 1580–1850 (Amsterdam, 2005) pp. 48–57, no. 56 & 57. 10. For a further reference, see the candlesticks by Jacques I Laudin in the Waters Art Gallery, illustrated in P. Verdier, Catalogue of the Painted Enamels of the Renaissance (Baltimore, 1967), p. 389, nos. 207 & 208. 11. John Ingamells, A Dictionary of British and Irish travellers in Italy 1701–1800 (London, 1997), pp. 572–3. 12. Oliver Impey, Four Centuries of Decorative Arts from Burghley House (Virginia, 1998), p. 53, fig. 23. 13. Country Life, 12 June, 1997, p. 162, figs. 9–11. 14. A. González-Palacios, Il Tempio del Gusto, Roma e il Regno delle due Sicilie, Vol. II (Milan, 1984), pp. 592–93, p. 260. 15. S. Grandjean, 'Napoleonic Tables...

Napoleon III style Fleur de pêcher marble mantel. Fleur de Pêcher marble is a historic marble, used a lot during the 19th century to make exceptional works of art. For example the ex...