Carrara Marble Fountains

18th century Dutch wall fountain from the hall of a canal house. Made of Carrara marble. Antique wall fountain, with a niche-shaped high back including tap hole, on a curled leg with...

Carrara Marble Fountain, Circa 1880 Carrara White Marble Fountain on three levels

A beautifully carved white Carrara marble wall fountain head from 18th Century France with a fluted top, rounded body, with carved leaf border detai...

Bronze male sculpture signed. Fonderia Giorgio Sommer Calabritto Napoli Thomas, sculptor, lived and worked in the Naples area, and especially on Capri, from 1889 to 1906. Given this ...

An attractive Italian 19th century Neo-Classical st. white Carrara marble bird bath/ sink.

Originally designed in Travertine for Wallpaper* Magazine's annual Handmade exhibition at the Salone del Mobile 2017, Tino Seubert teamed up with Pibamarmi to create a two-levelled i...

Exquisite and rare Antique Italian Hand-Carved Marble Fountain with a Classic Quatrefoil Basin and Fish Spout, that was removed from a Chicago mansion. The quatrefoil design dates back to 850BC and means four leaves and is a symbol for good luck. We have been told by the previous owner that the home where the antique Italian marble fountain resided, was built in the early 1900’s and that seems to mesh well with our thoughts of the Antique Italian Marble Fountains age. Certainly, any Antique Italian Marble Fountain that’s been subjected to over 100-Chicago Winters...

Sea monster Carrara marble mouth fountain Italy, late 16th century It measures 13.8 x 31.5 x 18.9 in (35 x 80 x 48 cm) State of conservation: some small evident gaps and widespread signs of wear due to outdoor exposure. The gray marks crossing it do not come from restoration, but are rather the natural veins of the marble. This work has some morphological characteristics typically associated with the iconography of the sea monster: an elongated muzzle, sharp teeth, protruding eyes, elongated ears, and a coiled serpent's tail. An in-depth series of studies on artistic depictions of the sea monster attempted to verify how this symbol evolved in antiquity in the European and Mediterranean contexts and how it gradually changed its image and function over time. The iconography itself is mutable and imaginative and its history is rich with cultural and artistic exchange, as well as the overlapping of ideas. This occurred so much that it is difficult to accurately pinpoint the "types" that satisfactorily represent its various developments. However, we can try to summarize the main figures, starting from the biblical Leviathan and the marine creature that swallowed Jonah (in the Christian version, this figure was to become a whale or a "big fish", the “ketos mega”, translation of the Hebrew “dag gadol”). Other specimens ranged from the dragons mentioned in the Iliad (which were winged and had legs) to "ketos” (also from Greek mythology), the terrifying being from whose Latinized name (“cetus”) derives the word "cetacean". See J. Boardman, “Very Like a Whale” - Classical Sea Monsters, in Monsters and Demons in the Ancient and Medieval Worlds, in Papers presented in Honor of Edith Porada, Mainz am Rhein 1987, pp. 73-84). In Italy the monster underwent yet further variations: it can be found in Etruscan art on the front of some sarcophagi representing the companion of souls, while among the Romans we find the “Pistrice” (cited by Plinio in Naturalis Historia PLIN., Nat., II 9, 8 and by Virgilio in Eneide: VERG., Aen., III, 427), which appeared in the shape of a stylized hippocampus or a very large monstrous cetacean and evolved into a hideous being with a dragon's head and long webbed fins. During the Middle Ages, the sea monster was the object of new transformations: at this time, it is often winged, the head is stretched like a crocodile, the front legs are often very sharp fins - sometimes real paws - until the image merges with dragons, the typical figures of medieval visionary spirituality widely found throughout Europe (on this topic and much more, see: Baltrušaitis, J., Il Medioevo fantastico. Antichità ed esotismi nell’arte gotica, Gli Adelphi 1997). In Italy during the 15th and 16th centuries, the revival of classicism - representative of the humanistic and Renaissance periods - led to a different reading of these "creatures". Indeed, the sea monster was also to find widespread use as an isolated decorative motif, especially in numerous fountains and sculptures where dolphins or sea monsters were used as a characterizing element linked to water (on this theme see: Chet Van Duzer, Sea Monsters on Medieval and Renaissance Maps, London, The British library, 2013). From the morphological point of view, the "sea monsters" of this period are mostly depicted as hybrid figures, in which the body of a mythological or real being (a hippocampus, a sea snake, a dolphin), is joined to a head with a rather indistinct appearance. It was usually characterized by large upright ears, an elongated snout, sharp teeth and globular, protruding eyes; a complex and indefinite figure, both from the symbolic point of view and from that of its genesis. The work we are examining is placed as a cross between the medieval sea serpent and the Renaissance dolphin, with stylistic features which recall the snake as often used in heraldry (such as the "snake" depicted in the coat of arms of the Visconti - the lords and then dukes of Milan between 1277 and 1447 - and which, for some, may be derived from the representations of the “Pistrice” that swallowed Jonah). In the search for sources, Renaissance cartography and in particular woodcuts should not be neglected. See for example the monsters of Olaus Magnus, from the editions of the “Historia de gentibus septentrionalibus” (“History of the peoples of the north”) and the natural histories of Conrad Gesner, Ulisse...

A very fine and exceptionally carved Italian 19th-20th century Baroque Revival style whimsical white Carrara marble wishing wellhead, raised on an octagonal two-step marble base. The intricately carved marble relief circular wellhead depicting carved figures of dancing and cheerful children (Putti) among vines, flowers and fruits, dancing and playing musical instruments with a backdrop of castles, landscapes, forests and wreaths, Florence, circa, 1900. Literature: A similar wellhead was sold by Jan's & Co. Fine French Antiques, Inc. in 1999, provenance the Atkinson/Kirkeby Estate and it is illustrated in "The Estates of Beverly Hills" by Charles Lockwood and Jeff-Hyland, page 150. Another similar is currently on display at the gardens of "The Elms" mansion a public museum part of the Newport Mansions by The Preservation Society of Newport County in Newport, Rhode Island. Yet another similar wellhead carved with frolicking putti with musical instruments and a dentil molded rim is located at Cranbrook House, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and is illustrated in B. Israel, Antique Garden Ornament...

Fountain believed to be from from Turkey or Greece, 19th century and 20th century elements. The fountain is in working condition. replaced with modern marble carving elements to spou...

A rare early 18th century Italian wall fountain.

A stunning Italian early 19th century white carrara marble fountain head signed HVGOR. This most impressive and masterfully sculpted fountain head...

A lovely Italian 19th century Louis XVI st. white Carrara marble fountain. The fountain displays a charming half round basin with a finely sculpted foliate...

Entirely hand carved in a solid block of precious white Carrara marble, this antique Italian late 17th century-early 18th century fountain or basin is sculpted with elegant floral and foliate patterns typical of Baroque period of Genoese area. This generously sized half moon basin features a wonderful hand sculpted floral carvings on front, drawing the eye around its satisfyingly smooth arc and its charismatic form, while the back is raw, the ancient hand chisels can still be seen. Even the original iron pins which probably supported a back splash are still visible. It takes a high level of skill to carve such a hard marble into a wonderful demi lune shape such as this. Different shades of white due to varied patina from age allows it to go with practically any color scheme. This antique marble sculptural and architectural piece was originally a garden element, it is now perfect for both indoor or outdoor use. Elevate your interior or your garden to a new level of elegance with this one of a kind piece suitable for both public spaces and private homes. Whether placed in the master bathroom or in a powder room as a wash sink...

"ELENA" fountain in Carrara marble, Ultima Edizione production by Giusti and De Rosa, 1985.

A very fine Italian 19th century carved Carrara marble figural fountain "Jardinière" modelled as a standing Putto and a Satyr supporting a sea-sh...