Chimneypiece

The principal source not only of heat but also of light, the fireplace was one of the focal points in the eighteenth-century interior. Various materials could be used for the mantle but in the eighteenth-century France, marble was often selected such as Brèche d’Alep, a popular marble showing colored inclusions in brown, grey, red or black colors against a yellow ground.



Consisting of two uprights in the shape of consoles with a voluted capital at the top, and a frieze carved with a rocaille shell in the center, this mantle reflects influence of the Rococo style. The bow-shaped shelf above was often used for the display of various objects such as a so-called garniture de cheminée, consisting of a set of vases of different shapes and sizes which would be beautifully reflected in the over mantel mirror behind.