Carved Building and Garden Elements

This original 18th century Royal French Saracolin marble fireplace surround is from the Louis XVI period. It has rounded corners and an exceptionally rich and brilliant color combina...

This 35-inch tall pair of large French hand carved beechwood columns or pillars from the late nineteenth century features scrolled ionic capitals detailed with a carved central flowe...

Rare hand carved stone Wellhead cistern Basin Antique Fountain Focal point LA CA. 19th Century Neogothic Water Wellhead hand carved stone planter Basin ...

A rare find We purchased this monumental architecture item as Tiffany but later on was told that The leaded art glass window was done by John Lafarge Studios We’ve had it for many years and was used as a back drop for a Cigar bar … very impressive in person because of its monumental size. It is a grand example of the. Great American golden Gilded Age. All original from a very prestigious mansion connected with General Motors In the Detroit area...

Our Jacobean stone fireplace is named after the early 17th century English design period it evokes. It features a classic Bolection-style molding throughout the legs and first linte...

21st Century Black Marble Mantlepiece. This English Made Unique Fireplace Mantelpiece Is Made From Deep Italian Nero Marquino Marble With a Polished Finish. The Design Is Based On A ...

19th Century Victorian Marble Fireplace Mantlepiece. This Fireplace Surround Is English Made And Hand Carved From Italian Carrra Marble. Da...

A late Gothic limestone gargoyle water spout. Original iron bracket in central gutter. Stunning hairline cracking in stone due to old age. Perfect o...

An antique French pair of fluted columns made of hand carved limestone, in good condition. The detailed pillars are surmounted by on sided tops of Ionic capitals. Minor fading, ships...

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...

An exquisite pair of hand carved Hindu wooden temple struts, mounted on stone bases, from the 19th century. This pair of antique temple struts from S. In...

19th century English Romanesque antique stone pedestal has protruding lion mask carved on pedestal. Base measurement: 9.25" x 9.25" Top meas...

Extraordinary 19th century French Bleu Turquin Louis XV style carved marble mantel. Decorative carvings and exceptional veining on this piece. A true work ...

A magnificent pair of Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) antique Chinese architectural elements with beautifully aged patina. circa 1900 Most impressive large scale, likely sculptural corbels from a Buddhist temple or imperial palace, late 19th / early 20th century, each intricately hand carved with very fine detailing, similarly styled pair, modeled as guardian foo lion, depicted with outstretched arched body, mouth ajar, clutching floral ball, having elaborate openwork carvings, with scattered remnants of original polychrome paint remaining. The highly decorative architectural salvaged ornamental building elements presented on custom made hand carved wooden sculpture stands...

Double-slip Georgian bullseye fireplace in Italian grey Veined Arabescato marble Measures: Depth: 9” – 22.8 cm External height: 43” – 1...

Louis XVI period limestone fireplace surround from France. Straight lines with a nice surface and feeling. French 18th century for timeless living with a French touch. Exceptional ca...

Rustic French fireplace surround from the 18th century period in beige granite with original wear from Normandy. A manor fireplace that instantly brings the French feeling to the roo...

We are pleased to present a simple stone Buddha of Kannon Bosatsu, made in Japan during the Edo period (circa 1700-1850). Kannon Bosatsu is known in Buddhism as a merciful savior wh...

century Pretty limestone wash basin from the south of Spain /Andalucía , finely worked by hand with its two small niches in the front part which were used for soap and brushes as...

Sold by Maison Leon Van den Bogaert Antique Fireplaces And Architectural Elements a timeless white French limestone fireplace surround with original textured surface. This Louis XIV ...

This pair of highly sculpted limestone fruit bouquets have a remarkable weathered appearance, as the result of a light-mottled patina of black and gree...

Petite French stone fireplace surround with elegant jambs. The bleu-grey stone gives it an extra dimension in the room. This French rec...

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

Hand-carved in northern Italy, circa 1800, this lobed basin was crafted from beautiful Verona rosso marble, most likely as a holy water receptacle in a church. Known for its reddish color and light veining, this particular marble has a wonderful rose color with light gray, cream, and brown veining. Thick gadroon lobes adorn the outside of the oval basin, beneath a quarter-round rim under a raised molding. The timeless carvings and warm color of the marble can be paired with just about any style of interior design. Our Italian lobed basin would make a fantastic decorative bowl on a foyer center table...

This is a very beautiful original antique fireplace mantel in limestone from a French apartment. The centre on the front piece is amazing and delicate. Measures; 168 cm EW 66.14"...

A late Regency style fireplace made from Italian Statuary Carrara marble. handcrafted in our Northern Irish workshop from imported Italian Statuary Carrara marble, faithfully copied ...

Huge Carved Stone Center Water Fountain Basin Architectural Element Antique CA. Exquisite Hand Carved Very Large water fountain Basin is car...

The fine carving on this original antique fireplace surround is very unique. The marble used is white statuary marble. The purity of it is the same as in statues made in the same ma...

Exotic 19th century carved relief architectural wood element, once part of a building facade has now been mounted on metal stand and made into an exciting and impressive sculpture. ...

This oversize Louis XIII limestone mantle tells the story of a Renaissance period betrothal from France's Loire Valley. Wreathed in fruited garlands a...

Calacatta Marble Column Pedestal with octagonal top and base. Provenance: From a New York City Collection. 39.5" H x 9.5" Diameter.

This country fireplace mantel (fireplace) is quite large and high. It is a Louis XIII fireplace in limestone with graffiti remains on the front and remains of the original patina. T...

A set of four Chinese Qing Dynasty period large carved elm wood interior door panels from the late 19th century, with fretwork design, openwork and figures in landscape scenes carved...

A fine pair of Hepplewhite designed tapered pedestals with carved classical decoration. Bespoke sizing, design adaptations and finishing available. We are currently working to a 30...

A pair of fine interior or exterior use Regency design teak and age painted brass bound and bronze-mounted oval planters with zinc liners.   We are currently working to a 30-36 week ...

This phenomenal original and a very rare antique fireplace mantle is one of a kind. Solid blocks of marble. A clean shelf. The side panels are carved in the block. See the proportion...

A French Louis XV antique stone fireplace with panelled console jambs supporting the carved scrolled entablature with central shell over scroll...

Ancient pair of pink marble balustrades and railings, built for churches with turned bowl columns, from Italy from the 19th century, each side measuring 250 cm x W 85 x D 24 cm

Superb Antique hand-carved stone Garden Statue or Sculpture of a Praying Angel from the 19th Century. Possible salvaged from an old historic St. Louis Church, Park or Garden. Purchas...

A Fine English 19th Century Victorian Ebonized Wood and Edged Bone-Inlaid Summer Fireplace Screen. The ornately decorated screen centered with a needlepoint tapestry of a Tarot card ...

A scarce pair of Qing Dynasty temple architectural ornaments, the decorative antique building element fragments each elaborately hand carved, polychrome painted and lacquered, richly detailed featuring two figural pairs accented...

The onyx quarries of the Carolina village, in the province of San Luis, Argentina, bring a fresh air and contribute to the femininity and elegance of our line for bathrooms, made up of brushes, tissue box covers, wastepaper bin, trays and soap dishes...

Hand-carved in four sections, this pair of Italian limestone acorn finials sit on robust octagonal plinths. The lower section of each ovate nut is encircled by a gadrooned calybium. ...

A fine French rustic fireplace surround with remaining patina. Its Louis Philippe period style of the 19th century and condition is suitable for a French country living interior desi...

Pair of Asian Chinese style (19th Century) red lacquered carved filigree door panels with scenes (PRICED AS Pair).

Carved limestone French limestone wall fountain with metal lion face.  

A large scale sculpture of a laughing putto standing on an elaborate foliate base, supporting a basket weave footed vase overflowing with large acanthus leaves (some with small drill...

Antique ceremonial brass handcrafted kettle. Moroccan brass tea kettle pot with warmer on stand. Museum quality, one of a kind delicately handcrafted ...

A wall mirror in the neoclassical design style, circa early-20th century. Mirror appears to have been a part of another piece (old glue on back) and removed. I'm showing mirror (with...

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...

Decorate an outdoor garden with this antique statue featuring Saint Francis, the saint patron of animals. Crafted in France, the carved vintage statue depicts the Saint dressed in ca...

Sold as a PAIR. Over three centuries in age and hailing from Italy, this exquisite pair of Corinthian columns has been handcrafted and conscientiously rendered as pure representation...

Large pair of transomed Louis XV doors: Régence period exterior doors, hand carved in oak with original transom. Dated to the first half of the 18th century. These doors and transom originally belonged to a home in Paris. They include original, or extremely early, hardware. Hand carved scroll and rocaille motifs adorn both doors and transom. Doors, transom and architectural surround...

This basin is small enough to fit on a table indoors or outdoors. It looks beautiful planted with orchids or the like. Patina and wear over years add to the character of this basin. ...

This exceptional Carrara marble fountain is a rare and elegant piece, featuring a beautifully preserved eight-pointed star-shaped drainage stone, known as the Star of Ishtar or Inann...

Large Baptismal font from Florence Italy with Sienna marble font and mixed marble base. Formerly owned by the Romano Family, a prominent family of antique dealers to the popes and r...

The Modern stone fireplace features sleek, spare lines for an elegant, clean, contemporary design. The legs and lintel all bevel in toward the o...

This Chinese extraordinary natural marble stone painting of a mountain range in green and white colors is called a dream stone Shih-hua. It is a huge monumental masterwork of nature. Totally natural. Dimensions: Hardwood frame: 62.5 inches tall and 88 inches length Site: 54.5 inches tall and 80 inches length This thin marble stone painting is approximately 3/8 inch thick and is cut from a large slab of rough material revealing a unique, incredible pattern in soft green and white colors. This unique work of art was from historic Dali marble found in the Cangshan mountains of western China. These mysterious mountains, unique in the world, are known for yielding incredible and fantastic natural landscaped works of art created over tens of millions of years from mineral inclusions that affected the process of ancient organic material which transformed into limestone and finally resulted in marble- a metamorphic hard stone. This art form is centuries of years old since the Ming dynasty. Dream stones became favored art in the west particularly since the 19th century when French collectors named them Pierres de reve. History of Green Flower dream stone paintings: “Green Flower” dream stone paintings known in China as Shui Mo or Chinese painting stone, were cut from stone found on Shuang Yang mountain in Dali moutains Captivating compositions, they might remind us of a long string of rugged mountain caps from a distance. These dream stones are cut from a scarce regional stone yielding notoriously “fuzzy” detailed paintings. To find examples possessing clear, contrasting detail like this one is indeed a rare find. Fine stone paintings like this example are rare as access to and availability of resource material diminishes. After a thin coating of wax is carefully applied to its surface to protect and reveal its beautiful subtle colors, this stone painting is signed upper right position with poetic verse and seal of an artisan who describes its majestic beauty as Provenance: Private Chinese collection, Yunnan, China. Reference: Dreaming of Dreamstones China’s Extraordinary Natural Stone Paintings, Schneible Fine Arts. Dreaming of Dreamstones – World’s first comprehensive English text publication covers China’s extraordinary natural Stone Paintings, by author and dream stone lecturer Douglas Schneible...