Its nickname ( “Modillon”) derives from the very Italian “modiglione,” an archaic word in the field of architecture and sculpture and now in disuse (all old things, including terminology, are disappearing because there is no longer any replacement, we are on a dead-end track) by which was defined the shelf that supports another architectural element, in this case the mantelpiece itself...
The architectural layout is “clean", but not without its own discreet “MINIMALIST” elegance.
A very widespread frame (the second in number of specimens after the Louis XV Pompadour plat fireplace) throughout Europe, it has found, especially in Belgium, admirers and builders who have forged eclecticisms on said architectural layout that have not always succeeded well. THE MANTEL I PRESENT HERE, HOWEVER, IS THE MOST CLASSIC OF THE MODELS IN THIS FAMILY.
It is the only frame built with an important technical expedient, the so-called “smoke return,” also present in a good percentage in Charles X fireplaces (in Italy known as “Tardo Impero”) and very effective in improving the “smoke draught,” especially at the moment (the most delicate) of lighting the hearth. In case you are interested in this specimen, I will explain how it works.
Almost all Louis-Philippe fireplaces, and this is among them, are to be considered “period” (1840-1860) and that is, built in the period when this style was prevailing.
Hardly copied at all in the years to come, unlike their older brothers Louis XV° and XVI°, they had a very brief if important revival in the Deco' period (1925-1940), a period in which several “designers” took their cue from these timeless lines for their modernist creations.
PROVENANCE PARIS, MID-19TH CENTURY ERA, SCULPTURE MADE IN BELGIUM, EXCELLENT OVERALL CONSERVATION AND SINCERE PATINA.
