Hand-Carved Fireplaces and Mantels

A grand and original Rococo treasure in white Carrara marble from the golden period in Paris, 19th century. This chimney piece is in a great condition and will be the masterpiece to ...

One of a kind, bespoke antique Belgian fireplace surround with a history in Grey St-Anne marble. The mantel was installed in the Chateau de Neerijse of the Family de Béthune de Overs...

Spectacular French Louis XVI style fireplace mantel in beautiful Italian Carrara white marble. This mantel is decorated with exquisite and exuberant carvings. It is in a lovely cond...

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

19th Century Marble Fireplace Mantlepiece. Hand Well Proportioned Hand Carved Italian Statuary - Carrara Marble Fireplace Surround. English Made Victorian Marble Fireplace Dated Cir...

Reclaimed Antique Carved Stone Fireplace Mantle chimney surround Los Angeles CA . Rare 18th century Louis XIV carved stone fireplace from Provence. Under Louis XIV, everything is ful...

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

French 18th century period castle fireplace surround in Burgundian hard-stone. The rose and ivory marble stone was only used for high-end interior design. LXVI period fireplace mantl...

A charming and imposing Louis XV style antique Rococo chimneypiece in Fleur de Pecher Marble with exceptional ormolu mounts by Francois Linke (1855-194...

A large English Regency period fireplace surround executed in Italian Statuary white marble. An exceptional and Finely carved Greek Revival Regency fireplace, the Jambs with carved torchieres, oak leaf...

Fine French Louis XIV period, 18th century period, original fireplace surround in a rose Burgundy hard stone/marble with remaining original patina....

This is a petite original antique Bourguignone French burgundy fireplace surround from the Gilly Les Citeaux village. Near Clôs-Vougeot. The hard s...

Reclaimed Antique Carved Stone Fireplace Mantle chimney surround Los Angeles CA . Rare 18th century Louis XIV carved stone fireplace from Provence. Under Louis XIV, everything is full of richness and luxury, everything is grandiose and monumental. But wealth is never excessive. Without heaviness, the style seeks symmetry and perfection. Artists of this period also knew how to create new decorative motifs, new canons of beauty and new architectural rules. Under the reign of the Sun King, in the middle of the 17th century to early 18th Century , the general profile of the hood fireplace became a trumeau gradually . There is now more depth in front of the shelf and the gradual disappearance of the first ledge generates a more significant height of the trumeau. The jambs are narrower at the base and rather swollen on their upper part, recalling the balustrade legs of the furniture of that time. Molded Cornice Framing. This fireplace will be the perfect focal point for any room, living room, bedroom, library, dining room ... The depth could be adjusted when installed, since we pull the fireplace as is mostly without cutting the extra stone pieces that were partially in the wall. The simplicity of the Carved line and the symmetry, makes this fireplace versatile in any design, even in a modern space, a provincial design, an Italian design, or even a Spanish style house a Farm house or a winery. This fireplace mantle with trumeau...

A refined and characterful statuary marble fireplace of strong architectural design, after Sir John Soane. The piece is cleverly decorated with a design of simple open concave finger...

A.W.N Pugin style of a Gothic Revival oak coal purdonium with seed carving to the edge of the top and linen fold carvings to the front and to the sides with blind fret details to the...

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...

An Imperial 19th century chimneypiece of good proportions carved in well preserved Carrara marble. The statuesque piece has canted jambs carved with flutes filled with Campanula, oth...

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...

Fabulous and in amazing restored condition. Black lacquer finish with Gilt in the carved areas remains in top condition. Aristocratic family representativ...

Statement stone fireplace surround in great condition for a timeless cottage or castle style home decor. The beige hard limestone blend well in any kind of interior styling. The prop...

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

Rare Gothic Castle Limestone Chimney Mantle Chateau Fireplace Hand Carved Stone . A real museum / Chateau Manor mantel fireplace piece. Perfect for a R...

Antique old vintage fireplace mantle, hand-built in black lacquered solid wood with bas-relief floral carvings, from Italy 19th century, ideal both as a fireplace frame and as a bed ...

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″ –...

This Museum quality original antique fireplace mantle in Rouge Griotte marble was installed in Grand interior in Paris. It is a Regency Rococo style from the 19th century. The front ...

Great country style vintage mantel with nice oxidation traces. This French petite bourguignon surround is from the 18the century. Measures: 130 cm ext...

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

Predominantly uncarved, this stripped pine and gesso chimneypiece is of neoclassical form and austere complexion. A waterleaf moulding in gesso frames the aperture and the central ta...

This is an exceptional original antique fireplace mantel with arbalete curves in fossil stone. The dark, almost black, hand-carved surface from the 17th century showing the pre histo...

A Superb and Rare George III, Neoclassical Siena and Statuary Marble and Painted Pine Fireplace with Porphyry and Antico Verde Faux Marbles Circa 1785–95. Inset with painted polychr...

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

Different bicolor Louis XIV period mantel in Burgundy hard stone. Interesting is the different color, shades in the mantel. The shelf shows the detail of the work of the maker. It or...

Louis XIV style carved limestone fireplace mantel created by hand and perfectly distressed to create great age. The natural lines and neutral tones allow this piece to work in a vari...

This exquisite Louis XV-style fireplace mantel is a stunning example of 18th-century French craftsmanship, masterfully carved in rare veined Rosso Levanto marble. The serpentine line...

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 fine European antique fireplace mantle in a warm color Burgundy hard stone/marble. It is perfect to create a cosy timeless interior design. The piece was built in the early 19th ce...

A William IV period Irish carved corbel fireplace in highly fossilised Kilkenny marble. The pilaster jambs with elegant carved corbel brackets supporting wide and generous mantle wit...

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...

This is a very nice grey-green, marble stone original antique fireplace mantel. The design of it fits it in timeless and contemporary interiors as well Art Deco ones. The polished st...

This fireplace surround with magnificent veining and not broken is from the Burgundy region. It has a country look although it can be used in all different kind of interior design si...

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...

French Bleu grey hard stone, 19th century period, fireplace surround of the Louis Philippe period. Very elegant and perfect fit of a timeless chique interior design concept. The ston...

A Statuary white and Portoro marble fireplace from the early 19th century English Regency period. The jambs with inlaid panels of Italian black and gold Portoro marble, stood on sepa...

An architectural style Statuary white and Siena marble fireplace in the Queen Anne manner. The simple yet appealing contrast between the two marbles making a very smart fireplace. St...

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...

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

A late 18th century George III period Irish Chimneypiece executed in Statuary white and Convent Siena marbles. The shelf with a typically Irish moulded edge. The frieze having a carv...

American White Pine fire place mantel with carved molded edges, one board back, and rectangular carved vertical legs with squared plinths . Early 19th Century . Fire Box Dim. 40" Tall / 40.5" Wide...

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

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...

A stately English Regency period fireplace mantel crafted from lustrous black Belgian marble, adorned with classical gilded bronze fluted columns and Ionic capitals. Dating to circa ...

This exceptional Statuary marble fireplace is an absolute gem. This Statuary is an Italian marble type. This particular piece of marble is totally whit out veins. The same marble ...

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...

This authentic 18th-century French Regency Rococo fireplace surround is a splendid example of Palladian-influenced craftsmanship, sculpted from rare Royal marble, richly colored with...

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

French antique fireplace surround in beach-sand beige colour hard limestone. This timeless mantelpiece beautifully captures the essence of minimalism from the early 19th century. Its...

An impressive reclaimed Statuary marble fireplace surround with Verde marble inlay. We currently have a matching pair of these surrounds (ARMSTRONG & DARLING); both were reclaimed fr...

Antique and Precious mantel fireplace, constructed of French Red marble with beautiful light white veining, The frame features carved geometric moldings with space for central coat o...

An exquisite example of French Rococo artistry, this antique fireplace mantel dates to the mid-18th century, circa 1740–1760, during the reign of Louis XV. Crafted from rare Rouge Ro...