- -€1,500.00
The "Parisienne" antique fireplace mantel owes its name to the remarkable chapter of history in which it played a small—but very real—part.
To understand this elegant French fireplace, we must first return to nineteenth-century Paris.
Many of you will already know that, following the French Revolution and the dramatic events that reshaped the nation, Napoleon III embarked on an ambitious plan to transform Paris into the magnificent capital we know today.
In 1853, he entrusted this enormous task to Baron Haussmann, whose vision would forever change the face of the city.
Haussmann swept away much of medieval Paris. Narrow streets and winding alleys gave way to the broad boulevards, elegant façades and grand avenues that have become synonymous with the French capital.
Of course, rebuilding an entire city also meant rebuilding its homes.
And every respectable Parisian apartment of the period required something essential:
a fireplace.
Perhaps some of you are wondering,
"Are we talking about fireplaces or having a history lesson?"
Please bear with me for just a moment.
Without its history, an antique fireplace loses part of its soul.
Haussmann favoured elegant yet practical interiors, and the fireplaces commissioned for these new apartments reflected exactly that philosophy. Inspired by the restrained elegance of the Louis XVI tradition, they combined balanced proportions, refined architectural lines and economical production, making them perfectly suited to the thousands of new residences being built throughout Paris.
And this is how our "Parisienne" fireplace mantel came into being.
A model that many French collectors still regard as one of the most characteristic—and almost patriotic—designs of nineteenth-century Paris.
Dating from the second half of the nineteenth century, this elegant antique fireplace mantel is carved from fine White Carrara marble and has been beautifully preserved throughout nearly two centuries of history.
Today, it remains a charming witness to one of the greatest urban transformations Europe has ever known.
