White marble Louis XV mantel with three shells - marble

Description

White marble mantel with three shells: one upside down in the center of the frieze, and one atop each jamb. The white marble is delicately speckled with gray.

Additional information

The Carrara marble quarries in the Apuane Alps, near the Mediterranean sea between Pisa and Parma, have been famous since Antiquity, although the marble industry really developed during the Medici period in the Renaissance. The marble extracted in Carrara is white, sometimes with grey veins. This marble is of semi-statuary quality (see photo 1), which adds a distinct shine and refinement to objects. Carrara marble was also used for sculpture and architectural elements. It is the whitest, finest and most luxurious of marble