Empire Building and Garden Elements

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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...

Empire style fireplace in antique green marble and gilded bronze Hearth dimensions: 85 x 102 cm

A unique French faucet tap dating to circa 1820, this highly detailed spout has the appearance of a swan with a craned neck. Swan motifs were sometimes see...

Beautiful early 19th century (around 1800) copper bathtub. Made in France in the Empire style. This is an Asymmetrical bathtub that you use while sittin...

Royal Empire column with malachite and gilt bronze Impressive and regal wooden column with bronze mounts in Empire style. Solid wood coated with malachite painting technique. Such a...

Antique handcarved Carrara marble bath in Empire style. This beatiful sculpted white-grey marble bath with rings is made in the early 19th century....

Antique French Empire bronze drape & tassel cannonball chenet small andirons, a pair. Item features unique cast iron supports, cast bronze construction ...

A Classic pair of Empire style antique brass andirons with aged patina. Wonderfully handsome, will add style and character to any fireplace. OAL...

Classic pair of Empire style antique brass andirons with aged patina. Wonderfully handsome, will add style and character to any fireplace. OAL ...

Empire style marble-top giltwood plant stand, having square top over four carved foliate columns, rising on marble base, ending in paw feet.

An antique Empire style fireplace in Verdi Antico marble with Statuary white marble semi detached columns to Jambs. The capitals in the Corinthian manner again carved in Statuary Mar...

Set of two 18th century brass and iron fireplace tools.

Pair of Empire style pedestals with gilt bronze and flame mahogany wood, France, 19th century.

Antique French Empire style paw foot brass pierce decorated fireplace mantel (fireplace) piece, circa late 19th century. Measurements: 7" H x 48" W x 15.5" D.

Stunning and all hand-crafted column pedestal from the early 1900s. Column pedestals in the Empire or Napoleon style are a rare find. It is therefore that we could not be more surpr...

This rare early 19th century boot-scraper was created by the firm of Archibald Kenrick & Sons in England during the height of Napoleons reign in France. They are made of cast-iron an...

Pair of antique Empire Neoclassical Swedish pedestals painted ebony with gold accents.

A very handsome vintage jardinière in the Empire style manufactured by Maitland Smith in the 1980s with cylindrical polished-chrome planter trimmed with brass over a cast and fabrica...

Pair of French Empire-style (Mid-19th Century) bronze andirons with a panther standing next to a gilt urn with a classical Egyptian head (PRICED AS Pair)

Pair of Empire style cast iron jardinières with swan handles and swagged garland decor, painted white with gilt trim on decorations and resting on stepped round base.

Two neoclassical Empire style bronze and marble pedestals French, 20th century Dimensions: Height 100cm, width 48cm, depth 48cm This pa...

A 19th century French Empire marble fireplace/mantel piece with scrolled legs, circa 1820. Antique marble fireplace in Empire style. This beau...

Antique Alabaster Marble Empire Style Carved Column Pedestal Plant Stand. Item features a revolving top, nice slender form, good antique item. Circa Early 20th Century. Measurements:...

Place this elegant antique fireplace tool set next to your mantel. Crafted circa 1980, the "Serviteur" sits on an intricate circular bottom base decorated with a bronze gallery aroun...

Antique late 19th-century brass English fireplace footman trivet. The footman is an elegant nod to days gone by and would be a great decorative accent p...

These andirons are made of bronze with lions lying face to face. This is a French Empire period pair of fireplace andirons, circa 1850.

Great 19th century marble and bronze square base round center beveled curved top column/pedestal

A beautiful antique carved oak fireplace by Guéret Frères. This elegant fire surround features deep, bold neoclassical style carving and intricate mouldings throughout. The corbels s...

In this listing you will find a pair of extra large French Empire jardinieres. They are done in bronze and have the base made of two types of ...

Very rare and highly decorative, architectural cast iron vase. If you are a private collector or an interior designer with an eye for the rare and wonderful, then this very rare and timeless garden vase could be perfect for your home or for one of your projects. You may have seen French terracotta Anduze vases before, but we are pretty certain that you have never seen one made of cast iron. This large and possibly one of a kind specimen of cast iron has a wonderfully calm design and it is hand painted in a beigy-gray color which makes it even more timeless. Handcrafted using cast iron...

A charming pair of French Empire andirons crafted from wrought iron, featuring elegant brass finials on the front tops. These fireplace supports are presented in their original, unto...

These Danish fireplace tools makes a wonderful addition to any fireplace surround. This two piece set was found at a market down town Copenhagen, Denmark. This set can be used in any...

A French decorative stand to place in a fireplace, gilt, brass and bronze. This item will make any fireplace look great.

Antique French Empire Brass Bronze Urn Finial Slender Column Andirons with Desirable Patina and Branch Feet - a Pair. Circa Late 19th Century. Measurements: 22" H x 11.5" W x 18" D.

Antique French Empire Bronze Urn Finial Fireplace Andirons w/ Paw Feet and Desirable Patina- a Pair. Circa Late 19th Century. Measurements: 25" H x 11" W x 11" D.

large pair of 19th century rare Verona Rosso Marble carved lion paw table legs. Ideal legs for console table / vanity unit.

This exquisite hand-carved wooden column, adorned with gleaming gold leaf, exudes timeless elegance and grandeur. Standing at an impressive 43.9 inches (111.5 cm) tall, the column fe...

Empire columns, France, ca. 1880. Wood: mahogany dimensions height 103 cm. top 30 cm x 24 cm

Vintage French Empire Brass Bronze Column Flame Finial Fireplace Andirons - Pair. Circa Mid 20th Century. Measurements: 19.5" H x 8" W x 19" D.

The Cut Crystal Empire Door Lever adds style to entrances and exits. 12 Available. Each come with the wall plates. If you need the connector for installation please ask - they are ...

A Pair of Large French 18th century Brass Chenets This is a VeryAttractive pair of French Chenets, the ultimate in Chateau Chic They are sculptured on brass in the shape of classi...

French Empire Style Putty Cherub Large Brass Cannonball Andirons - a Pair. Items features heavy brass forms, large round cannonballs, figural...

Amethyst columns. Gilt bronze capitols.

Century French Empire Style Cherry Wood Black Column 1 Drawer End Tables - Pair. Item features one dovetailed drawer, solid wood construction, finis...

Antique French Empire Style Bronze Brass Spiral Column Andirons- a Pair. Circa 1900. Measurements: 20" H x 9" W x 17.5" D

Antique French Empire Style Flame Finial Brass and Cast Iron Andirons - a Pair. Circa Early to Mid 20th Century. Measurements: 20" H x 9" W x 16" D.

In this listing you will find a pair of very rare French Empire andirons or chenets, completely done on brass. They feature carefully and precisely sculpted snakes in motion, as well...

Elegant pair of French Empire style marble pedestal stands Classical pair of stands perfect for displaying marble busts or vases Big pair with intricate ormolu fixtures which are ori...

An English copper plant or flower pot holder cachepot jardiniere with lion head and paw feet design, circa early-20th century, England. Dimensions: 8" Diameter x 6.94" Height.

19th C. French Empire Onyx & Bronze Ormolu Revolving Statue Column Pedestal. Item features a revolving top, bronze ormolu, beautiful green and beige onyx stone, and timeless classica...

Pair of French Empire style malachite and gilt bronze pedestals French, 20th Century Height 115cm, width 35cm, depth 35cm This pair of 20th century French pedestals is crafted fro...

Early 20th Century Neoclassical Empire style Mahogany Pedestal Plant Stand. Measures 15" in diameter at the base, 12" in diameter at the top and stands 55.75" tall.

This fire fender is a quintessential example of the opulent yet authoritative style of the Empire period. A patinated bronze frame in geometric form is adorned with ormolu bronze mou...

A substantial French gold gilt bronze pedestal column plant stand, in the Empire design style, attributed to maker, Maison Jansen, circa 20th century, France. Round top is a copper g...

Antique fireplace mantel in gray marble hand carved by an Italian artist, with lion's feet and wavy columns, Empire style, early 1800s, from an Italian noble home. Thanks to its refined color and its gentle shape, it lends itself to all those classy, elegant and suitable to be inserted even in a very modern context. Empire lion paw fireplace...

Likely mid to late 19th century. The pair have a bold form with scrolling base atop orbs with log support at backside in iron. H21" L22" W11" Providence: from the collection of a Pawleys Island...

Early 19th c., a beautifully ornate antique picture frame. The frame is made of wood, gilded with a rich, golden finish that exudes luxury and sophistication. The primary color is a ...