French Antique 19th Century Limestone Mantel

A French antique limestone fireplace mantel from the 19th century with a plain rectilinear silhouette. A subtle molding runs horizontally under the flat top shelf and gives the lintel a crisp border. The legs are unadorned columns that meet the lintel at right angles. The limestone is a consistent sandy beige with gentle shifts of tone across the surface. The finish is porous, with open pits; a century of use has smoothed the edges and blunted the corners.

Overall it measures 64 inches wide, 10 1/4 inches deep and 50 1/4 inches high. The opening is 50 1/4 inches wide and 40 1/4 inches high. The legs are about 6 and 5 1/4 inches wide, and the frieze and shelf together run about 10 inches high. The depth tapers from 10 1/4 inches at the shelf to about 7 1/4 inches at the legs, which makes it a shallow mantel that fits where many antiques will not.

The quiet form suits a contemporary room that wants an antique fireplace mantel without ornament: a gallery-like living room, a city apartment, a study. This limestone fireplace mantel has sold; we often have plain 19th-century French mantels in the yard or on the water, so ask and we will send what is current.