Mantelpiece
Elaborately carved stone fireplaces, often decorated with profile heads inside wreaths, were a key feature of noble dwellings. As the winged helmet of the female figure in the right-hand wreath suggests, these depictions were generally idealizations rather than portraits of actual individuals. In the left-hand wreath is the head of a male figure. The remainder of the mantelpiece is carved with floral motifs and fantastic hybrid animals, including phoenixes, reptilian beasts, and sea creatures. The fireplace comes from the Trie-Pillavoine family’s manor house (called the manoir de Mornay-Villarceaux) in Omerville, Val-d’Oise. The coat of arms is a later addition.
Artwork Details
- Title: Mantelpiece
- Date: 1515–20
- Culture: French, Ile-de-France
- Medium: Limestone
- Dimensions: 10 ft. 11 3/4 × 9 ft. 5 7/8 × 36 in. (334.6 × 289.2 × 91.4 cm)
- Classification: Sculpture-Architectural
- Credit Line: Gift of William Randolph Hearst Foundation, The Hearst Foundation Inc., 1977
- Object Number: 1977.99
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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