Marble Building and Garden Elements

Beautiful and very rare hand-carved white marble water basin or sink, Italy, circa 1750-1800. Weathered. H:7cm W:26,5cm D:22,5-26cm

A rare set of four late 19th-century garden urns carved from richly veined Giallo Siena marble in the Lazio region of Italy. Celebrated for its warm golden tones and luminous natural...

19th Century Brussels marble fireplace mantel from a distinguished notary residence A fireplace that speaks of status. This exceptional 19th century marble mantel from Brussels once ...

A rectangular footed marble and onyx soap dish, Postmodern design period, circa late-20th century. Vessel is rectangular, footed, with an oval 'bowl', with square marble and onyx pat...

This authentic 19th century fireplace surround in Black Belgian marble, enriched with refined Spanish Brocatelle marble inlays, is a striking example of elegant architectural contras...

Beautiful Baroque marble holy water font or stoup, Unique and original period piece. Italy, circa 1750 H:12cm W:24,5cm D:18-33cm

Beautiful and very rare hand-carved white marble water basin or sink, Italy, circa 1750-1800. Weathered. H:10cm W:41cm D:33,5-40cm

Beautiful and very rare hand-carved white marble water basin or sink, Italy, circa 1750-1800. Weathered. H:11cm W:38cm D:32,5-38,5cm

Crafted from elegant Black Marquina marble, this deluxe bathroom set is designed to enhance both the beauty and functionality of your bathroom, spa, or hotel. The set includes a squ...

A large and very well carved Louis XV style fireplace in Italian Carrara Marble. The large and deep serpentine shelf with Rococo frieze beneath of carved central cartouche with shell...

A carved Carrara Marble antique 19th century Louis XV style "Tres Coquilles" fireplace. The Cantered console jambs with scrolled panels and surmounted by a carved shell. The serpenti...

This unique Rosso Levanto marble sink brings a bold and refined look to any bathroom or powder room. Handcrafted from genuine Turkish marble, it features rich burgundy tones highligh...

George Trollope and Sons. Exhibited at the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1878 winning a Gold Medal for Excellence. The set forms the four sides of a complete panelled room that was exhibited as a boudoir room or petit salon at the Paris Exhibition 1878 . The main feature and centrepiece of this boudoir room is the Rosso Antico marble fireplace surmounted by an open display niche carved in cedar wood. Each side of the room is composed of various panels and are as follows: One side with a grand Rosso Antico marble fireplace flanked by two doorways. One side with French doors originally opening onto a balcony, flanked by two large bookshelves. One side with a window flanked by two mirrors. The opposite side with three large mirrors. The complete room measures: 21 ft / 6.4 m wide, 17 ft / 5.18 m deep, and 12 ft / 3.65 m high. It could also be used in a number of different combinations to suit various room layouts. The mirrors could be replaced with windows or further bookcases. Each side is decorated with various sizes of finely carved panels and holds ornate Corinthian style columns surmounted with cherubim's on the capitals. Three cherubs are formed at the top of each corner with three columns, at the column bases there are circular carved pedestals to display statues. Published & illustrated in the ‘Illustrated Catalogue of the Paris International Exhibition’. The main part of this room, the Rosso Antico marble fireplace is surmounted by a large open display niche carved in cedar wood are illustrated with a line drawing in the Paris Universal Exhibition catalogue on page 209. The whereabouts of the seminaked caryatids and the marble bust of Alexander Pope are unknown. The bust of Alexander Pope was copied from the original one in Westminster Abbey, London. The Corinthian columns now flanking the niche above the fireplace are also in cedar wood having the identical carved fluting to the rest of the room and were made to replace the caryatid figures. Those Corinthian columns are period to the room and can only have been made shortly after it arrived back to London and before it was reassembled and fitted into the house built by George Trollope and Sons in the 1880's, and where we removed it all from. George Trollope made clever use of Alexander Pope's early 18th-century poetical successes in Great Britain and France by using ‘The Rape of Lock’, a mock-heroic narrative poem Pope wrote in 1712 about Petre who cut off a lock of Arabella’s hair without her permission, as the theme of the boudoir room or petit salon at the 1878 Paris Exhibition. In the original exhibition display of the room set, tapestries depicting the Rape of Lock were hung where the mirrors are now positioned. Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock is a humorous indictment of the vanities and idleness of 18th-century high society. Basing his poem on an actual incident among two families of his acquaintance, Pope intended his verses to quench hot tempers and to encourage his friends to laugh at their own foolishness. The poem is an outstanding example in the English language of the genre of mock-epic. The 'epic' was considered one of the most serious of literary forms; it had been applied, in the classical period, to the trivialities of love and war. Pope’s mock-epic is not to mock the form itself, but to mock his society in its very failure to rise to epic standards, exposing its pettiness by casting it against the grandeur of the traditional epic subjects and the bravery and fortitude of epic heroes: Pope’s mock-heroic treatment in The Rape of the Lock underlines the ridiculousness of a society in which values have lost all proportion, and the trivial is handled with the gravity and solemnity that ought to be accorded to truly important issues. The 18th-century society in this poem fails to distinguish between things that are important and things that are not. The poem mocks the men it portrays by representing them as unworthy of a heroic culture. Therefore the mock-epic follows the epic in that its main concerns are serious and moral. The point that the theme must now be satirical rather than earnest is symptomatic of how far the culture has fallen. Retaining the original exhibition label The back of the panelling still retains two original labels printed with the 'Union Jack' and printed adjacent to it, 'The Secretary Royal British Commission for the Universal Exhibition 1878 Champ de Mars Paris'. Adjacent to that and below, printed and written in ink vertically: Exhibitor: (and signed in ink) George Trollope & Sons. Address: (written in ink) Halkin Street West. London. Allotment in Block: (written in ink) a2. In the printed floor plan 'a2 square' is in the very first line to the right of the floor plan and handwritten in ink with a 'diamond shape' also written with '101' within it. This pin points where George Trollope's stand was located. With thousands of items being displayed at the Exhibition, this label would have been the floor plan for the craftsmen, so they knew the correct place to install the boudoir room or petit salon. The firm continued expanding house building and interior decoration side of the business and by 1849 was also trading as an estate agency, letting and controlling property for the Grosvenor Estates. A separate branch of cabinet-makers, bearing the family name, was opened at West Halkin Street, London. becoming known as 'The Museum of Decorative Arts' (looked after by George Robinson). Here Trollope and Sons also sold high-class antique furniture made by other makers. In 1851, the firm became formally known as George Trollope and Sons. West Halkin Street, London. The address was recorded in the listing for the firm in The Furniture Gazette Directory, 1876 & 1877. Period Press Coverage & Art Critic Review. everal newspapers also thoroughly describe George Trollope and Son's stand including the different tapestries that were hung where the mirrors are now, illustrating the poem 'The Rape of Lock', by Alexander Pope. Marius Vachon, a French Art Critic and journalist, who wrote for the journal ‘La France’ published an extensive review of the Trollope and Sons stand in a book called Les Merveilles de l'Exposition de 1878 (The Wonders of the 1878 Exhibition). Note: In the World Fairs translation it states door frame, Marius Vachon had originally written ‘chambranle’ in French, 'chambranle' loosely translates to a frame around something, and should read in its correct context: ‘fireplace in rosso antico’. We have taken the extract below written by Marius Vachon in its translated form from: Les Merveilles de l'Exposition de 1878, (The Wonders of the 1878 Exhibition). This puts into perspective the importance of this fine quality room interior when he viewed it at the exhibition in 1878: Marius Vachon: English furniture is very curious to observe; irreproachable from the point of view of execution, the furniture of our neighbours always reaches the last degree of respectability and comfort. One thing to be noticed is that for large pieces of furniture, the English upholsterer is transformed into a sort of architect; everything he makes takes on a monumental aspect. The first object that catches the eye when one enters the furniture class is the beautiful boudoir-salon exhibited by Mr. Trollope. The boudoir (or petit salon), of carved cedar wood, is an attempt to reproduce the style which prevailed in England during the first decade of Queen Anne's reign, and all the details have been studied, but not copied, from examples of decorative work of the time. The fireplace is in "rosso antico" movement, and the ceiling is in portable plaster. The panels painted on canvas represent scenes from the heroic-comic poem "The Abduction of the Hairpin," (The Rape of Lock) written by Alexander Pope in 1712, the eighth year of Queen Anne's reign, in which the customs and mores of the time are satirized in a pleasing manner. The apotheosis of the Loop and its sidereal transformations will form the decoration of the ceiling. In these illustrations of Pope's charming poem, the costumes and accessories have been taken from models of the time; and the bust of the poet, copied from his tomb in Westminster Abbey, occupies the niche in the centre of the mantelpiece. M. Marius Vachon, the period writer of the above continues with: Now we shall mention at random the magnificent dining table of Messrs. Johnston and Co., their oak mantelpiece, their boudoir table; Mr. Watt's drawing-room mantelpiece stepped in the old style and imitating the Japanese; Mr. James Shoolbred's great The Decorative Arts Society on Trollope and Sons The boudoir or petit salon is mentioned again in the Decorative Arts Society: Trollope did not exhibit such highly rated objects at the 1878 Paris Exhibition as at previous exhibitions; items included a large mirror frame carved in limewood in Renaissance style and a satinwood cabinet in Adam revival style, with a similar armchair (illus. Meyer (2006), p. 242) and probably two rooms; one was a boudoir in cedar wood in Queen Anne style and the other was a boudoir decorated by the firm in the theme of Pope’s The Rape of Lock. In the above extract, it is quite clear that the two rooms mentioned are in fact the very same room, because the fireplace and niche are illustrated in The Paris Universal Exhibition catalogue on page 209 and Marius Vachon describes the rest of the room set in the above… Trollope and Sons exhibition pieces listed and described by Meyer in an article he wrote for: The Decorative Arts Society 1850 to present, Journal 25 in 2001., where he points out the importance of George Trollope and Sons and mentions a table by Trollope exhibited at the 1867 exhibition that sold for £40,000 in 1996. He also mentions a cabinet exhibited by Trollope at the International Exhibition of 1862 that sold at Sotheby's in 1997 for £150,000. Interest was not as strong in the 1990's as it is today for rare exhibition pieces, high quality items were abundant back then, it was a golden era when the most beautiful works of art just kept coming onto the market. But there are exceptions as in this instance, when a unique, gold medal-winning exhibition work of art comes onto the market for the very first time. Meyer continued researching and writing about the great exhibitions and released his book in 2006, 'The Great Exhibitions, London, New York, Paris and Philadelphia 1851- 1900, where he mentions only in passing, The Boudoir Room or Petite Salon exhibited by Trollope, he even states that an image was not reproduced and that Trollope's exhibits in 1878 were not up to the quality and class of the items Trollope exhibited in London in 1862 and Paris in 1868. This is probably because Meyer didn't know of the line drawing illustrating the Roso Antico Fireplace, Niche and Panelling reproduced in The Illustrated Catalogue of the Paris International Exhibition 1878 shown in the above which Geering recently uncovered. John Meyer continues in the DAS journal: Undoubtedly they (Trollope) are a firm worthy of further research as they were right at the forefront of the furniture business in London from 1860 to 1880. Our research shows that the Petite Boudoir was awarded the gold medal for excellence in 1878 (see Journal La Liberté 23-10-1878 with the list of all medals attributed), something George Trollope and Sons did not achieve at the London 1862 and the Paris 1867 exhibitions. Jonathan Meyer joined Bonham's in 1977. He was Director at Sotheby's in charge of 19th Century Furniture from 1994 to June 2007. He was also chairman of the Fine Arts Faculty for The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. In the original description from the article in Les Merveilles de l’exposition de 1878, M. Marius Vachon states: The first object that catches the eye when one enters the (English) furniture class is the beautiful boudoir-salon exhibited by Mr. Trollope. Suggesting, it was in his opinion the very best on display in the English section, and being awarded the gold medal for excellence can only add weight to this. Adjacent to the original label that was printed by The Secretary - Royal British Commission for the Universal Exhibition 1878 in stencil ‘TO BE KEPT’, i.e. ‘to be returned’. This confirms why it came back to London. We removed the Boudoir Room or Petite Salon from a Trollope house, part of a grand high-class housing estate in London which around the time of the exhibition Trollope and Sons were in the process of building, and where the room set was installed directly after it returned from the exhibition in 1878 until now. Worthy of note is the machines that did the carving for the Boudoir Room or Petite Salon and also did all of the decorative carving (most of which was linenfold carving) for the Houses of Parliament, London. This machine, the engraving and description of which we copy from Engineering, was specially designed by its inventor, Mr. Jordan, for assisting in the production of the vast amount of carved decorations required for the walls and ceilings of the Houses of Parliament, London, and it was so employed during the entire progress of the work. The late Sir Charles Barry was so well satisfied with it, that he frequently declared it would have been impossible to have accomplished the work without it. The Department of Woods and Forests employed five of the machines at the Government Works, Thames Bank, for several years; and the machines have now passed into the hands of Messrs. George Trollope and Son, and are still used in the same building. They also exhibited the new technique of xylatechnography and sgraffito, methods of impressing coloured design into soft wood and engraving veneer to reveal the base wood. The newspaper, La Liberte October, 23rd 1878 listing the medal winners of the Paris 1878 exhibition. Third column, ''GROUPE III MOBILIER ET ACCESSOIRES'', (GROUP III FURNITURE AND ACCESSORIES). Medailles d'or. (Gold Medals) where G Trollope et fils (G Trollope and Sons...

This timeless beautiful Italian classical sink is cut from one single block of white marble, these designs have not changed since Greek and Roman times, it carries superb artistic me...

A pair of late 19th Century, antique Italian Ionic style columns, meticulously hand carved from solid marble, in good condition. These monumental architectural elements feature class...

Marble Stone Corner Sink Naturally distressed marble, an original period piece x2 wall sides: 40 cm each

Italian Classical Carved Sink Basin This timeless beautiful Italian classical sink is cut from one single block of white marble with added carved relief detail, these designs have no...

This exquisite piece represents the head of a bearded faun, clearly depicted with his goat horns and elongated ears. The faun was the Roman equivalent of the ancient Greek satyr, a m...

This stunning 18th-century period fireplace mantel, sculpted in exclusive Royal Sarrancolin Fantastico marble, showcases intricate carvings and decorations, including a central shell...

A 19th Century Scagliola column with Carrara marble base and capital. The column imitating Portor, a very rare marble quarried in Italy and Corsica. The base and capital made in whi...

Unique and very beautiful pair weathered white marble baroque ornaments. They most likely once adorned a church altar. Original period pieces, Italy, circa 1650-1750. Weathered and s...

Circa 20th Century, a pair of large antique garden statues hand carved in natural stone named Biancone d’Istria Marble. These antique natural st...

This Rouge Languedoc marble fireplace embodies the Renaissance Revival style with its intricate detailing and craftsmanship. The deep red marble, accented with striking white veining...

Another unique piece of design, this timeless Italian classical sink is cut from one single block of white Carrara marble, the circular design is taken from Greek and Roman times. Th...

Classical Italian sink basin cut from one single block of white marble with serpentine shaped front and gadrooned carving, these Greek/Roman designs quite happily suit either old or ...

This oval Italian sink is cut from one single block of white marble, these designs have not changed since Greek and Roman times, it carries superb artistic merit easily fitting in w...

This timeless beautiful Italian classical sink is cut from one single block of white Crema Luna Limestone, the design sprung from Greek and Roman times, it carries superb artistic me...

This timeless beautiful Italian classical sink is cut from one single block of white marble, these designs have not changed since Greek and Roman times, it carries superb artistic me...

Classical Italian scalloped sink basin cut from one single block of Carrara marble. Custom sizes available  

Crafted from elegant Black Marquina marble, this deluxe bathroom set is designed to enhance both the beauty and functionality of your bathroom, spa, or hotel. The set includes a rec...

Classical Style Carved Marble Stone Sink Basin This timeless beautiful Italian classical sink is cut from one single block of white marble, these designs have not changed since Gree...

Handmade Calacatta Viola marble vanity with storage drawers and rectangular integrated sink. All natural marble with wood lined drawers. Standard drain hole with faucet holes ready...

Monumental Italian white marble copy of the Medici Urn. Early 20th Century Impressive palatial model of the historic Medici urn. It is masterfully carved in white Carrara marble. ...

Originally used in a French butcher's shop during the late nineteenth century, this cast iron table features a solid white marble top. Its pale grey painted curved iron legs support ...

Crafted from elegant Black Marquina marble, this deluxe bathroom set is designed to enhance both the beauty and functionality of your bathroom, spa, or hotel. The set includes a soa...

A rounded shape soap dispenser in Paonazzo marble. Each piece is in a way unique (since each marble block is different in veins and shades) and handcraf...

This timeless beautiful Italian classical sink is cut from one single block of white marble, these designs have not changed since Greek and Roman times, it carries superb artistic me...

A rounded shape toothbrush holder in Paonazzo marble. Each piece is in a way unique (every marble block is different in veins and shades) and handma...

A large and highly variegated Breche de Saint Maximin marble fireplace from the very late 18th century. Rich in colours of purple, creams, white, gold and deep reds. The console jamb...

Beautiful Baroque marble holy water font or stoup, Unique and original period piece. Italy, circa 1650-1750. Weathered condition. H:9,5cm W:24cm D:17-25,5cm

A classic 19th Century Victorian Scottish carrera marble fireplace surround. A generous square edged top shelf rests above an unadorn...

Spectacular hand-carved white marble capital with angel head. Beautiful weathered white marble . France circa 1650- 1750 Weathered Measurements include the wooden pedestal

A Scottish 19th century Victorian pencil veined Carrara marble fireplace surround. A classic Scottish design in a prominent well figured marble. A squ...

This timeless beautiful Italian classical sink is cut from one single block of white marble, these designs have not changed since Greek and Roman times, it carries superb artistic me...

A large and quite tall for this model, late 18th century Louis XV Rouge de Griotte Belgique marble chimneypiece. The scrolled console jambs cantered, with stiff acanthus to bottom an...

This is a gorgeous vintage Hollywood Regency cream and gilt painted white marble topped pedestal, circa 1950 in date. The circular marble top is raised on tripod legs which are ca...

19th Century French Louis XVI Red Marble Demi-Lune Fireplace Mantel from Paris Elevate your interior with the timeless sophistication of this 19th century Louis XVI demi-lune firepl...

A rounded shape toothbrush holder in black Marquina marble. Each piece is in a way unique (every marble block is different in veins and shades) and handmade by Italian artisans spec...

A very large and superior quality Louis XV style Rococo surround in rare Breche Violette marble. The deeply carved jambs and frieze in typical Rococo manner with stiff acanthus and s...

Extraordinary and monumental 19th century Napoleon III Carrara marble fireplace mantel, masterfully sculpted during the height of the Second Empire period (circa 1850–1880). This exc...

An unusual and charming 19th century Regency style Lumacella di San Vitale marble fireplace surround, a deep square splayed shelf sits above a frieze of carved reeding with a central...

A 19th century Georgian style statuary marble fireplace surround of good proportions and color, a profiled top shelf rests above a central tablet displaying a large urn, flanked by f...

A set for the bathroom in black Marquina marble which includes: One rounded soap dispenser (diameter 9 x 19.5 cm), one rounded toothbrush holder (diameter 7 x 12 cm), one spa tray...

Beautiful antique and all handcrafted, solid Carrara marble sculpture. This rare work of religious art is entirely hand carved out of white marble. We are not certain, but we feel t...

Wonderful small architectural fragment. White marble finial in Gothic style. France circa 1850. weathered. Measurements include the wooden base.

Beautiful neoclassical marble pedestal column, late 20th century. Probably hailing from Italy, this handsome column is of the deepest lico...

Exceptional Post-War vintage art-deco fireplace surround in a exquisite Breche Quality marble with terrazzo look. Rich in color and pure minima...

Beautiful and very rare hand-carved white marble water basin or sink, Italy, circa 1750-1800. Weathered. H:12cm W:56cm D:29-40cm

A charming French vintage brasserie bistrot table, perfect for entertaining or everyday indoors or outdoor use. The original removable white marble has expressive veining. Table craf...

21st Century Lilac Viola Marble Fireplace Surround A spectacular Lilac Viola Breche marble fireplace surround, showcasing one of the most visually dramatic and sought-after marbles i...