Mantelpiece

1515–20

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 544

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

Overview

Provenance

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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