I HAVE NAMED IT “THE LITTLE PRINCE”, IT IS A SCULPTURAL MARVEL 107 CM WIDE....
THIS FIREPLACE IS TO BE CONSIDERED A “UNIQUE PIECE,” THAT IS, IT WAS DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY AND SOLELY FOR THAT COMMISSIONER (PROBABLY A VERY RICH BERLUSCONI OF THE TIME... WHO ELSE COULD HAVE AFFORDED SUCH AN IMPORTANT AND EXPENSIVE MANTEL FOR THEIR BEDROOM??).
IMPORTANT INTRODUCTION:
SMALL AND BEAUTIFUL (MEANING BY “BEAUTIFUL” THAT IT HAS AN IMPORTANT DECORATIVE LOAD) ARE TWO ADJECTIVES THAT SELDOM GET ALONG IN THE WORLD OF FIREPLACES BECAUSE FIREPLACES OF THIS WIDTH (LESS THAN 115/120 CM) WERE COMMISSIONED TO ADORN A BEDROOM, A ROOM FOR WHICH THE CLIENT DID NOT INTEND TO SPEND MORE THAN THAT MUCH ONLY FOR THE FIREPLACE IN THE LIVING ROOM, THE FIREPLACE, LET'S SAY, “REPRESENTATIVE,” THE CLIENT (OBLIGED BY THE WIFE WHO WANTED TO BE ENVIED BY HER FRIENDS) WOULD PUT HIS HAND IN THE PURSE WITHOUT AVARICE.
THAT'S WHY IT'S SO DIFFICULT TO COME ACROSS “RAMEAUX D'OLIVIER” SPECIMENS OF VERY SMALL SIZE. BY THE WAY, A FACTOR THAT IS BY NO MEANS NEGLIGIBLE, OUR OLIVE BRANCHES EMERGE FROM A VERY IMPORTANT DECORATIVE HEAD IN SIZE AND ARTISTIC WORKMANSHIP. THE HAND OF THE SCULPTOR IS, WITHOUT POSSIBILITY OF DOUBT, ITALIAN, FROM TUSCANY.
HIS CARRARA WHITE IS ONE OF THE MOST FASCINATING MARBLES, IN MY OPINION: THE LEGENDARY “WHITE P” (“P” STANDS FOR “PURE”), A MARBLE QUALITY WITH WHICH VERY FEW FIREPLACE MANTELS (GIVEN ITS HIGHER COST) HAVE BEEN CARVED.
PARIS WAS ITS HOME, ITS BIRTH WE CAN EASILY DATE IT TO THE LAST DECADES OF THE XIXTH CENTURY, ITS PRESERVATION IS OPTIMAL...
“VENAL” BUT NECESSARY NOTE: ITS PRICE SEEMS VERY HIGH (EVEN TO ME, EH, IT HAS THIS EFFECT...) WHILE INSTEAD, IF WE CONSIDER ITS EXTREME RARITY, WE ARE CERTAINLY IN LINE WITH MARKET PRICES. OUR SMALL COMPANY IS APPROACHING THE HALF-CENTURY MARK, AND I GUARANTEE YOU THAT SUCH A SMALL FIREPLACE (107 CM WIDE !!) AND WITH SO MUCH DECORATIVE LOAD, YOU CAN FIND IT, IF YOU ARE LUCKY, ONCE IN A DECADE...
