It had been many years since I had seen a fireplace from this era (18th century) with such a fine “troumeau...” Generally, the ones seen in the last two lustres, while ancient, were built in a “coarse” (which does not necessarily mean “coarse,” heh!) manner, with numerous overlapping blocks that looked like the bricks of the Cyclops' house, NOTHING TO DO WITH IT compared to this Grace.
He (the fireplace) had been waiting for me for about a quarter of a century out in the open, only “covered” by temporary shelters, planks, broken tarpaulins in addition to a jumble of overlying miscellaneous objects deteriorated by rains, wind and frost that in Brittany winters makes itself felt very much..
It was my friend Alain, a formidable stonemason who at that time was restoring the stone facade of actress Catherine Deneuve's Breton castle, who alerted me to this find, and since I know that he has a good nose for stone and art, I rushed with my van (Antique too, but always faithful and ready to run with me) to that distant land (chased by my wife's chuckles, not even running after a skirt. ..) and I must say I was well repaid for my “labors.”
Thanks to you, Alain, paid pizza at Pizzeria Sapri on rue Ordener (just below Montmartre, Alain lives there..).
But now, fortunately, this fantastic fireplace is well sheltered under the cover of my “storage room” (a school built in the year 1900, I know for sure he will like this ancient “lochescion”), now no one will touch it anymore except our fantastic restorer Massimo, who will give this historic and very important mantel all the affection he is capable of.
In addition, this very rare mantel was made in the noble and very fine “Caen Stone,” in my opinion the best, because of its being very little porous and also because of its color, very homogeneous and tending to white.. This fireplace comes from the land of Brittany.
The stylism is, clearly and beautifully, Louis XV, its date of birth lies in the eighteenth-century period (I will give more information to those who, seriously interested, will come to see this mantel live), structurally very healthy, it will need a restoration to its surfaces that will be agreed with the buyer. For the rest (evocative charm, poetry, historical enchantment etc...) I will let the pictures speak for themselves.
