White Carrara marble fireplace mantel with Bacchus theme - marble

Description

This mantel is decorated in a bacchanalian mode: two terms adorn the jambs - a satyr and a bacchant, characters in the court of Bacchus - easily recognizable by their heads crowned with wreaths of vines heavy with grapes. The theme of the vine is equally present in the décor of the frieze, mingled with geometrical and floral motifs. The frieze is a virtuoso piece of sculpture; a subtle gradual carving from high-relief to flat-plane.
The characteristics of the Belgian decorative style, added to a quality of sculpture identical to the work in a mantel designed for the King of Belgium, sculpted by a man named Leclercq, and presented in the World’s Fair of 1851, allows us to believe this beautiful piece comes from his studio in Bruxelles. Leclercq was assisted by talented sculptors like Eugene Simonis, which would explain this extraordinary artistic quality.
Carrara marble.

Additional information

The Second Empire marks the artistic emancipation of the fireplace mantel in Europe. After 1850, the mantel sometimes became an authentic statuary creation, a work of art belonging to the realm of sculpture.
The height is 3 feet 5 inches plus the base making a total of 3 feet 10 inches.