French Antique Limestone Fireplace Mantel

A French antique stone fireplace mantel from the 18th century, in the Louis XVI manner, with its original blue-gray polychrome finish still on the stone. The neoclassical frieze carries a lozenge panel of acanthus, palmettes and a central rosette in relief, flanked by patera corner blocks and scrolled console supports. The garland is edged with fine beading, and crisp moldings frame the frieze above and below. The consoles are fluted and scrolled, and the legs below them carry lozenge motifs and small applied rosettes. Layers of paint have worn and flaked over two centuries: chalky white, soft gray-blue and traces of green, with bare cream stone showing along the edges.

It measures 59 1/2 inches wide, 23 1/4 inches deep and 46 1/2 inches high; the opening is 49 inches wide and 40 inches high. The paint is original, which is rare, and we would not clean it back.

This antique fireplace mantel suits a period-inspired drawing room, a formal bedroom, or a dining room in a French or Georgian house. The antique limestone fireplace is in our yard in Marina Del Rey; come and look at the paint in daylight, or ask us for photographs and a quote. Only one stone fireplace mantel like it comes along in a while.