In the world there are those who are unlucky like Donald Duck and those who, like his cousin Gladstone, are born with a lucky star.
The antique fireplace mantel I am presenting here must surely be related to the legendary Gladstone, since it possesses every possible stroke of good fortune, none excluded.
The very moment I saw this “Trois Fleurs” fireplace mantel, the following thought came to my mind: “Among its distinguished category, this one is certainly at the very top of the class!”
Let us take a look together—if you have the patience and the curiosity—at its many admirable qualities:
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The selection of the marble slabs used to build it was truly well executed. And indeed, was, because you should consider (and I will gladly demonstrate this visually to anyone who visits my warehouse, as it was common practice in 19th-century sculpture workshops) that once the Carrara slabs for carving the front of a fireplace were chosen, the sides and the tablet were often made using marble of lower quality (and cost). Here, instead, we find remarkable and effective homogeneity in the tones of the Carrara marble used throughout the entire piece.
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This fireplace mantel still retains its original cast iron insert.
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All “Trois Fleurs” fireplaces tend to resemble one another, and to the untrained eye it is often difficult to determine which one has been better carved and which has not. In this case, however, anyone can easily see—it truly leaps to the eye!—how skilled the hand of the master sculptor was who created it. The carvings are boldly raised, the leaves so delicately rendered that one almost feels tempted to touch them. In short, the quality of the carving is unmistakable and undeniable.
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Consider carefully its dimensions (106 cm)—never before have we encountered one of these fireplaces in such a small size. Normally, fireplaces of this important model, so rich in sculptural decoration, were produced in much larger dimensions, as they were intended to adorn the most important room of a very wealthy home: the grand reception salon, which at the time was almost like a parade ground. Our example, instead, is perfectly proportioned for the scale of modern homes.
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For once, I would like to give particular importance to the insert, because this specific accessory—used to frame and reduce the fireplace opening—displays not only a remarkable and clearly visible quality of casting, but also a distinctive surface known as “tapisserie”, meaning a pattern repeated hundreds of times. In this case, the motif is a four-pointed star, which, against the black background of the insert, evokes the starry sky of the night in which Jesus Christ was born.
EXCELLENT CONDITION AND PATINA, PARISIAN PROVENANCE, NAPOLEON III PERIOD, WITH THE EXQUISITELY FINE AND DISTINCTLY ITALIAN SCULPTURE OF PIETRASANTA—THE FINEST TRADITION OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.
