Europe - Building and Garden Elements

The Faber 2000 gas stove is considered one of the most beautiful designs of its kind and was exhibited at The Industrial Design Centre in 1967. Designed by Wolthekker, Architect and ...

Amazing neoclassical hand painted panel in fresco style. Italy circa 1780 Weathered, small losses. Measurements include the wooden base. H:52,5cm W:39,5cm D:7cm

Unique carved oak Baroque altar niche with its original color and gilding. France, circa 1650-1700. Weathered, small losses Measurement includes the wooden base. H:65cm W:27,5cm D...

Beautiful and rare decorative zinc item that once graced a facade, France, circa 1850-1900 Weathered but despite of its age in a good condition Measurement here below is inclusive th...

Beautiful weathered oak Renaissance ornaments that most likely once adorned a half timbered house in Normandy. France, 17th century. Weathered, small losses Measurement here below a...

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 handcarved giltwood acanthus leaf curl ornaments that once adorned a chapel .Original period pieces that due their high age have a wonderful weathered look. Italy circa 178...

Beautiful pair hand carved giltwood baroque ornaments that once adorned a chapel or a church. Italy, circa 1750. Weathered, small losses and old repair. Measurement includes the wood...

Beautiful and large handcarved giltwood baroque ornament that once adorned a chapel or a church. Italy, circa 1750. Weathered/ small losses and old repairs. Measurement includes the ...

Very rare zinc Bacchus head that once graced a Parisian facade, Original period piece, France, circa 1850-1900. Weathered.

Beautiful double-sided Mid-Century Modern door handle in heavy bronze. Unique abstract design from the 1960s. Square with rounded corners. Very high-quality, handcrafted piece. Suita...

Original period piece. Extremely rare find. Carved stone gargouille Panel depicting a crowned gargoyle standing on a bird. Gargoyle, a word derived from the French 15th century word ...

Beautiful and rare decorative zinc item that once graced a facade, France, circa 1850-1900 Weathered and small losses but despite of its age in a good condition Measurement here belo...

Beautiful handcarved baroque style ornament that once adorned a chapel or a church with a stunning blue color. Italy, circa 1850. Weathered. Measurement includes the wooden base. H:7...

Antique 19th Century Victorian Brown Cast Iron Lady’s Hand Ball Door Knocker Continental Cast iron Late 19th Century Dimensions: H x W x D: 5cm x ...

Copper Bathtub with scrolled surround all made in the traditional handmade manor, the finely shaped design is set on finally detailed gilded feet and embellished with this highly eff...

Beautiful and large handcarved giltwood baroque ornament that once adorned a chapel or a church. It represents an baroque angel between acanthus leaves. Amazing period piece in a ver...

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...

Large Majolica Swan Jardiniere signed Foucard Vallauris , circa 1900.

An elegant antique French Louis XVI ormolu mounted mahogany fire-screen, circa 1870 in date. This fine mahogany screen has a shaped arched pediment centred by a gilt bronze cartouch...

Beautiful Baroque hand carved limestone holy water font or stoup, Unique and original period piece. Italy, circa 1750. Good but weathered condition just as it should. Measures: H:10c...

M. H. Baillie Scott, attributed An exceptional pair of Arts and Crafts exterior sliding doors, forming part of a larger architectural set by attribution to M. H. Baillie Scott. A s...

This classic French apartment fireplace surround from the 19th century is crafted from the rare and highly sought-after Italian Bleu Fleuri marble, also known as Bardiglio Fiorito—a ...

Wonderful 17th/ 18th century baroque hand carved stone head ornament. lovely folk art style. France circa 1650-1750. Weathered and some small losses. H:24cm W:16cm D:20cm

Sizeable, sturdy, and quality, copper collecting bucket on feet. A substantial and beautifully handcrafted brass and bronze log bin, featuring elegant detailing and a practical desi...

Very beautiful hand carved stone coat of arms with a unicorn. Italy, circa 1650-1750. Weathered. Measurement here below is inclusive the wooden base. H:45,5cm W:27cm D:18,5cm

French Riviera style folding planter, Italy, 1970s. Wood and rattan structure with 3 folding parts, creating 4 spaces for pots and plants. The diameter of the spaces for the plants a...

19th century French Napoleon III 'Hercules and the Snake' fireback / backsplash. The fireback is made of cast iron and is black / pewter colored. The fireback is in a good condition...

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

A late 19th century French enameled cast iron parlor heating stove. This antique stove features a tubular shaped body with two doors and a removable Cer...

Mid-20th century glazed ceramic elephant garden stool, flower pot seat or side table. Handmade of ceramic. Nice addition to your home, patio or garden. A nice addition to any room, p...

One of a kind Carved Alabaster Urn Lamp with Winged Dragon Handles, Spain, 1930s This stunning Art Deco period alabaster lamp has an elegant neoclassical urn design with foliage carv...

Beautiful iron weathervane roof finial. Very rare piece. France, circa 1800-1850. Weathered Measurement includes the wooden base.

Beautiful handcarved giltwood baroque ornament that once adorned a chapel or a church. Italy, circa 1750. Weathered condition. Measurement includes the wooden base.

NOTE: This specific bathtub has been sold. It is presented here as a testament to the monumental, one-of-a-kind functional art we can create. We invite you to contact us to commissio...

Wonderful pair of two baroque gilt oak ornaments, France, circa 1650-1750. Weathered and small losses. Measurement here below of the largest one and includes the wooden base.

Rare Antique Balinese Carved Teak Door in Original Frame, circa 1900 A rare antique Balinese carved teak door with its complete original frame, dati...

Beautiful and rare decorative zinc item that once graced a facade, France, circa 1850-1900 Weathered and small losses but despite of its age in a good condition Measurement here belo...

Towel Holder chrome and Glass around 1920s Original chrome Original glass Original condition

Watering copper brass can vienna around 1960s Brass polished and stove enameled

Wrought iron animal fire screen by Atelier Marolles, France, 1955. Very decorative and useful piece with dense mesh against the sparks.

Mid-20th century glazed ceramic elephant garden stool, flower pot seat or side table. Handmade of ceramic. Nice addition to your home, patio or garden. Also a beautiful decor item at...

We offer this fantastic vintage Italian garden set from the 1970s circa. The set consists of a round table and 6 armchairs. This set is made of iron and lacquered in white, perfectl...

Mid century minimalist concrete Sandbox planter by prominent Swiss interior architect and furniture designer, Willy Guhl (* 6. Juli 1915 in Stein am Rhein; † 4. Oktober 2004 in Hemis...

19th century English Victorian period fireplace tool set. The tools are made of polished brass, and the stand has a cast iron base. The tool set consists of tongs, shovel, poker and ...

19th century fireplace screen. The firescreen is in good condition.

Striking and practical size alabaster pendant light for the perfect atmosphere. If you’re looking for a chandelier that brings both beauty and character to your home, this antique A...

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

A large cast aluminum door panel from the 1960s. Its design, in the Brutalist style, shows a clear influence from the sculptural metalwork associated with Paul Evans. The piece is st...

Magnificent hand-forged castle-style eight-light chandelier, radiates quality and craftsmanship. This good quality and all hand-forged, eight-light chandelier comes with some really...

A pair of beautiful and sensual ART-DECO BRUTALIST SHABBY-CHIC andirons, thin and small but massive, square wrought iron structures morphing into enrolled heads remembering a plant o...

Functional and beautiful 19th century French Napoleon III roasting jack made of cast iron, wrought iron, brass and copper. It is used for cooking in a kitchen fireplace. The set cons...

20th century French Napoleon III fireback with an allegory of music. The fireback is made of cast iron. The condition is good, no cracks.

Concrete 'Diabolo' Spindel planter by Swiss designer, Willy Guhl. Produced by Eternit AG. Made in Switzerland 1960 - 1970. Iconic mid century Swiss design. Perfect for garden, terrac...

Alabaster urn lamp with neoclassical design. Spain, 1930s-1940s This turned alabaster urn lamp with classical design has carved details on the bottom part. It has a nice color and pa...

This original 19th-century French fireplace mantel, carved from soft-toned limestone, epitomises understated elegance. The hand-carved surface bears authentic tooling marks, enhancin...

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...

Wrought iron firewall from Ateliers Marolles, 1950. Beautiful handcrafted ironwork of animal nature representing Horses, Elephants, Girafe Work of ironwork carried out with the hand....

Spanish hand forged iron five-piece fireplace tools set stand with scrolls ornamentation and dragon motifs, wrought iron. Spain, 1920s-1930s. This sculptural tools set hangs on a tri...

Elegant French Limestone Mantel – Timeless Country House Charm. Bring authentic French country elegance into your home with this beautifully hand-carved limestone mantel. Its clean ...