For a long time now, this very nice fireplace, together with its twin, has lived in our storage room.
He does not lack for company, in fact, in addition to his twin, he is surrounded by a myriad of antique fireplaces (they must be 700, 800 mantels, I lost count long ago) of every breed, color and era.. He is among the youngest in our “colony” (his birth dates around the very early 1900s) (he is practically a baby) and so he is pampered by all, even by us humans who work at Artis...
A greeting, a smile, a warm caress and he looks at us and you can tell he would like to say... “But when are you going to put on my good suit and take me for a walk, maybe to the Correggio exhibition?
Well, my dearest Fireplace Florentine by first name and Liberty by last name, the time has come, we are almost at poma....
Let me explain further: Since you are all disassembled, FOR NOW we are publishing your photographs before disassembly, so those who will read this page of our site will see how you were esteemed in that luxurious home in the historic center of Florence. You are happy, aren't you! But yes, it's only fair that I should give you a little airs too, after all you are a handsome young man and you will see that soon a beautiful young lady will fall in love with you..
THEN, as soon as possible, we will restore all your parts (marbles and cast iron castings) and bring them, as you wish, to our showroom.
Unfortunately, in the exhibition we will not be able to assemble you because you are A UNIQUE, AND SO AMAZING (IN OTHER WORDS... “STRANGE”) FIREPLACE that the architect who designed you thought of you as if you were a monument and the assembly/assembly of all your parts can only be done “IN WORK.” IN ESSENCE YOU DO NOT HAVE, LIKE ALL CHIMNEYS ON THE GLOBE, TWO LEGS, A FRONT AND A TOP, BUT A FEW “PIECES” OF MARBLE AND CAST IRON THAT A MASONRY EXPERT WILL JOIN TOGETHER WITH A BUCKET OF PLASTER OR SCAGLIOLA (OR OTHER, MOREOVER INADVISABLE, MODERN GLUES).
ALL THIS PAPPADELLA SO THAT THE CUSTOMER WHO SEES THESE PICTURES WILL NOT THINK THAT HE CAN, ON COMING TO SEE US AT THE SHOW, COME ACROSS THIS FULLY ASSEMBLED FIREPLACE.
WHAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO SHOW TO OUR WELCOME GUEST, WILL BE A MOUND WITH MANY MARBLE PARTS OF VARIOUS SIZES, SHAPES AND THICKNESSES, PARTS OBVIOUSLY COMPLETELY RESTORED, PARTS THAT OUR CUSTOMER, LOOKING AT THE PHOTOGRAPHS ON THE SITE, WILL BE ABLE, MENTALLY AND EASILY, TO PUT TOGETHER AS IF IT WERE A FANTASTIC PUZZLE..
A GOOD MASON, THEN, WILL MAKE IN PRACTICE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND ORIGINAL PUZZLE IN THE WORLD AND YOU, NEW PINOCCHIO WILL LIVE ANOTHER STORY, YET ANOTHER OF YOUR (BLESSED YOU) INFINITE LIFE..
AND REST ASSURED, YOU WILL GET ALONG WELL WITH OUR CLIENT, A PERSON WHO SURELY LOVES ART AND ANCIENT CRAFTSMANSHIP, OTHERWISE HE WOULD NOT BE AN ARTIS CLIENT.
THE AGE OF THIS SCULPTURE I HAVE WRITTEN IN THE CHATTER ABOVE, THE PROVENANCE ALSO, WHAT MORE IS NEEDED!
AH, YES, ITS STATE OF PRESERVATION. I TELL YOU THIS AS MY CONDUIT DOCTOR SAID IT IN THE DAYS OF MY YOUTH: OUR LITTLE BOY IS OF SOUND AND HEALTHY CONSTITUTION. OUR INTERVENTIONS WILL ONLY BE A KIND OF CLEANING TO REMOVE THE DUST THAT IN YEARS OF WAITING IN OUR STORAGE ROOM, HAS SETTLED ON ITS SURFACES AND ALSO A NICE WAXING, ALSO LIKE IN THE GOOD OLD DAYS.
THE CAST-IRON PARTS WILL BE TREATED “GRAPHITE,” THAT IS, WITH A TREATMENT USED ON THE SURFACES OF ARTISTIC CASTINGS FROM THE SECOND HALF OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY UNTIL THE 1940S (1940S), AFTER WHICH BEAUTY AND TRUE CRAFTSMANSHIP RETIRE, TO THE BENEFIT OF CONSUMERISM, COMMERCIAL TELEVISION, “CHINESE” PRODUCTS, AND SO ON...
