White Marble Louis XVI mantel with fluting - marble

Description

This antique mantel, in Arabescato marble, rests on filleted fluted jambs rising to curved molded panels. The center of the entablature presents a décor of filleted flutes with wisps of wheat, framed by two molded panels. The wisps of wheat or “asperges” in French are decorative motifs in marble or bronze that top the fillets in flutes. The French name comes from the vegetable, the motif resembling stylized asparagus.

Additional information

Arabescato marble comes from the Carrara region in Italy. It is a white marble with crystal particles underlined by stylolites and marked by green and black minerals. Quarried since Antiquity. there are still a number of quarries that are active. Used in the Mirror gallery in the Versailles Palace.