THE MOST IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTIC OF THIS EXAMPLE LIES IN ITS EXCELLENT MARBLE ENDOWMENT, something absolutely unusual in a fireplace model that is, all things considered, rather “modest” and generally intended to furnish bedrooms, entrance halls, or serious studies.
(Note: whenever I come across a fireplace of “modest” architecture but dressed in interesting marbles, I am reminded of a foundry worker who goes to work wearing clothes made of embroidered tulle organza.)
Its marble — which today all professionals rather casually call WHITE CARRARA “P” (where the letter “P” stands for “Pure”) — is one of the marbles I most appreciate, because it has a beautiful white tone that is often mistaken for the same brightness and candor as STATUARIO MARBLE, the number one in the world when it comes to whiteness. No, our “Pure” Carrara does not quite reach those dazzling heights, but it comes very close.
Furthermore, continuing this comparison, our hero, when compared with Carrara Statuario marble (considered the king of marbles), possesses one physical characteristic superior to its “chief”: the strength, compactness, and resistance of its slabs — something that Statuario marble, because of its notable porosity, can never fully guarantee… AND THE MARBLE OF A FIREPLACE, BEING CONSTANTLY SUBJECTED TO HEAT STRESS, MUST BE VERY RESISTANT.
LET US NOW EXAMINE ITS LINEAR STYLE.
A little too serious?!
No, I would say rather… “linear.”
A little too poor in decoration?
No, I would say instead… “simple”… “dignified”… “minimalist.”
In short, this fireplace model (the Louis XVI model most widely built in the nineteenth century) is not the boastful type. It is a serious and precise character, the kind that speaks little and quietly does its duty.
It is called “CANNELURE” (the Italian translation of the word fluting) because its only decoration is precisely the fluting of its legs, in certain places enriched by Pompeian flutes (today called “pencils” by modern and somewhat irreverent young architects).
In any case, since in many interiors there are already quite enough elements “shouting for attention” (from the table to the carpet, from the console to the magnificent mirror, or the fashionable set of chairs)… he, quietly and discreetly, will be admired for his clean beauty, without frills, without the ambition of taking over your living room.
I admire his modesty — I hope you will too.
PARISIAN PROVENANCE, BUILT IN THE NAPOLEON III PERIOD, TRULY BEAUTIFUL CONDITION AND RICH PATINA — WHICH IS THE TRUE SEAL OF ITS NOBILITY.
