THIS SPECIMEN OF "TROIS COQUILLES AMELIORE" IS LIKE A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN, SLENDER AND ELEGANT, OF SUCH FINE MANNERS THAT SHE CAN AFFORD TO DRESS EVEN IN YELLOW, A VERY DIFFICULT COLOR...
AFEF TRONCHETTI PROVERA OR FRANCESCA NERI, HERE ARE TWO FANTASTIC “YOUNG LADIES” WHO COULD RELATE, IN TERMS OF CLASS AND INNATE LADYLIKE VESTIMENTA, TO THIS BLOUSE OF OURS..
I PUT THIS VOCABULARY IN THE FEMININE BECAUSE THE DECOR FIREPLACE IS FEMININE, EVEN THOUGH WE ITALIANS SPELL IT IN THE MASCULINE.
In more than 40 years of (very happy) “work” among antique fireplaces, ONLY ONCE (A TWENTY YEARS AGO) had I come across a specimen of this stylistic model carved in Giallo Siena marble.
BUT I MUST SAY THAT I WAS REWARDED FOR SUCH ANTICIPATION.
In fact, some time ago, in a fantastic and huge Parisian apartment in Rue Ordener (North of Paris) we found no less than 4 specimens including the one I am presenting here.
ASIDE: THIS FIREPLACE IS THE LAST OF THIS FANTASTIC QUATERN, THE OTHER THREE HAVE BEEN SOLD.
All very similar, none equal to the other since they were carved entirely by hand, polished entirely by hand, breathed, caressed, looked at and regarded a thousand times during the sculptural work, entirely by hand and eye.
Of less prized “Yellows” I have had several (not several but at least 20 or so I have owned) and more than once I wondered why it was so difficult to find them in Sienna Yellow... Then, with experience, I realized that the reasons were other and more precisely these:
A) The cost of this marble. It was high even in the nineteenth century, since the quarry was small and the blocks that arose from it were few and therefore very expensive;
B) The difficulty in carving this particular brecciated marble, a composite that was perhaps fascinating but structurally delicate. In short it could crumble under the blows of the master sculptor;
C) Its extreme color variability from slab to slab, which is a most understandable thing in a natural material like marble, which, indeed, should be regarded as a merit but which it is not, I see this myself when I deal with my clients: Most of them prefer the color of the marble to be as homogeneous as possible.. Some, even, consider “stains” some fantastic Quaternary fossil inclusions that it is possible to find in Veronese marble and beyond..
Having said that, I can say that this mantel has incredible characteristics of compactness of its “paste” and chromatic homogeneity (come and see it, these qualities are evident even to the layman), a sign of an iron selection (as well as a rather inflated wallet) desired by the nineteenth-century patrons.
PARISIAN FIND AND STYLISM (NOTE, “PARISIAN” NOT “FRENCH” I.E., THE HEIGHT OF STYLISM AT THE TIME), PERFECT PRESERVATION, A WORK OF ITALIAN SCULPTURE (I.E., THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF QUALITY POSSIBLE YESTERDAY AND TODAY), PERIOD SECOND HALF OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.
SIDE NOTES TO THIS COMMENTARY: WHAT MIRROR WILL GO WELL WITH YOUR FIREPLACE?
Do you want to match your fireplace with the right mantelpiece or mirror?
In the section of this site dedicated to this valuable accessory of the antique fireplace you will find numerous mantelpieces or mirrors (always absolutely antique and professionally restored) among which there will certainly be one suitable for your antique fireplace. I would like to remind everyone that those who purchase a fireplace from us will be entitled to a 20% discount on the published price regarding each accessory, including the mantelpiece/mirror. This discount is possible not only as a result of a multiple purchase by the customer, but also because we will save in delivery costs
