The mantel of this “simple” as well as elegant Louis XIV fireplace model was born towards the end of the 17th century as a result of a scopiazzatura of the Sun King's architects, put in place to the detriment (and whose else?!) of Italian culture and more precisely of a Neapolitan artist.. There, in fact, one of the greatest Italian artists, working moreover in multiple Arts (from Painting to Writing, from Engraving to Poetry, even theatrical Acting, a sort of Leonardo in second) whose name was Salvator Rosa, had invented this particular (minimalist and totally revolutionary, for those times..) mantel for his paintings.. As it happens,at the same time Louis XIV's architects were designing a mantel in the Parisian countryside (the palace of Versailles) and thought of copying this same mantel to reframe the mouths of the 1256 (YOU UNDERSTANDED WELL.... MILLEDUECENTOCINQUANTASEI) fireplaces that would heat and decorate the countless rooms of this country cottage...
After almost two centuries (We are then in the middle of the nineteenth century) a Provençal fireplace maker, takes up (discovers it, in short) said mantel and instead of using it only for the mouth of the hearth, makes a real fireplace mantel.. He will give it a thousand shapes, square as it was at the time of its birth, with the corners rounded to a quarter circle, with rounded corners (as in the case of our mantel) or with a single upper arch, precisely in the shape of an arch..
And so the mantel presented here was also born.... Its name is “Boudin Arrondi” (rounded), its year of birth is very close to 1850, its line now “iconic” (this is the first time I have used this Internet word, I promise never to do it again..).
Because of their important marble thicknesses, they are sturdy fireplaces, these Boudins, hardly in need of real restoration and even “ours” has undergone only cleaning and waxing, a minimum of makeup to present it at its best...
ITS REDISCOVERY HAPPENED IN A GRACIOUS TOWN OF BURGUNDY, MACON, PATRIAGE OF FRENCH NOVEL WINE (“vin nouveau”), WINE THAT, GIVE TO CESARE WHAT IS CESARE'S, I have always found exceptional.
