Antique Mediterranean Limestone Fireplace

An antique stone fireplace mantel from the Mediterranean, in thick flat limestone blocks that give the hearth a clean, stark geometry. The pale stone mixes cream, soft sand and light beige with faint honey tones and small gray marks. A lightly projecting shelf sits over a broad flat frieze with a softened lower edge, and the tall legs taper gently as they rise. The contrast is in the returns: the front faces are worn smooth, while the inner faces toward the firebox are rough split stone, so the opening reads as a deep hollow even with no fire in it. Open pores, rubbed edges and small chips mark the smooth front.

It measures 49 1/4 inches wide, 10 1/2 inches deep and 45 1/4 inches high, with an opening of 38 1/4 by 39 3/4 inches. It was reclaimed whole from a Mediterranean house.

This restrained antique limestone fireplace suited a quiet bedroom, a library or a modern kitchen where a stone surround should not take over the room, with smooth plaster, limestone floors and aged oak. It has sold. We usually have similar plain Mediterranean mantels in the yard or arriving; ask and we will send what is current. Another stone fireplace mantel of this scale is often in stock.