What can one say when standing before an “out-of-series” fireplace like this one?
Nothing…
You are left speechless. The fascination it exerts prevents you from overthinking, and so you simply enjoy the sight, fully aware that such an opportunity will rarely present itself again in your lifetime.
This “vision” is a harmonious blend of beauty and nobility of both lines and materials — something that should be appreciated as a whole and not, as I am about to do, by dissecting its individual material and structural characteristics.
I apologize for this, but my job is to provide potential clients with all the information in my possession about the fireplaces we offer for sale, including those examples which, like this one, would frankly sell themselves.
Usually, I place the more “technical” information (such as place of origin or estimated date) at the end of my descriptions. This time, however, the very first thing I wish to state is its date of birth, which I place in the early years of the Belle Époque (late 19th–early 20th century).
Why? Because I genuinely feel — deeply, instinctively — that this work embodies and expresses the Beauty, the Desire for novelty, and the Freedom of that extraordinary and UNREPEATABLE* historical moment.
Returning now to the present day (unfortunately — things were quite pleasant during the Belle Époque!), let us examine its construction features.
The marble is an exceptionally fine Paonazzetto, remarkably white (pure calcium carbonate) yet enriched by elegant, slender black veining (fossilized vegetal remains), accompanied by delicate shading caused by sulfur oxides — the very same found in Michelangelo’s Pietà — which almost appear golden.
This marble can be considered among the noblest in the world, if only for the fact that it was the preferred stone of Roman emperors, many of whom chose it for their statues, fountains, busts, and other prestigious works.
The gilded insert is crafted from shaped and worked brass plates, polished by artisans who, of course, had no modern hydraulic presses at their disposal — only their experience and the flame of a coal forge.
The insert is truly a fascinating piece of craftsmanship, produced through near Sisyphean effort to achieve perfect curvature, using substantial brass thicknesses — a key reason why this work has survived intact to the present day.
Its Secret
Inside the “belly” of the insert, divided into three horizontal sections, lies a rideau.
Rideau is a French term that can mean curtain, drape, stage curtain, or shutter — depending on context. In this case, it refers to a metal fire shutter, designed to be lowered when leaving the hearth while embers are still burning, thus preventing sparks and reducing fire risk.
Picture this: it’s evening, dinner is over, you and your wife are together, and — considering that “Dancing with the Stars isn’t on tonight” — she seems rather well-disposed toward romance…
But there’s still a log burning in the fireplace that will last another hour.
That’s where our rideau becomes your most precious accomplice.
I almost forgot — perhaps the most charming detail of all: the handle of the shutter, a beautifully refined Saint Jacques shell cast in bronze.
WHY DID I CALL THE BELLE ÉPOQUE “UNREPEATABLE”?
Because during the Belle Époque humanity witnessed the invention of extraordinary and irreplaceable technologies: the automobile, the airplane, cinema, radio, the telephone, and electric lighting — innovations that transformed life across the entire world and remain integral to our daily existence.
Medicine, too, saw groundbreaking discoveries such as X-rays, tuberculosis vaccination, blood groups, and antibiotics, while physics gave us radioactivity and the theory of relativity.
More unrepeatable than this… what could be?
The physical condition of our fireplace is perfect. I have already spoken at length about its date of birth. All that remains is to mention its place of origin — though I almost feel I could omit it, as there is only one city in the world where an object of such refinement could have been born:
La Ville Lumière — or, if you prefer, La Cité de l’Amour.
