Georgian Statuary Marble Fireplace Surround

An elegant antique fireplace dating from the late Georgian period, its restrained design anticipates many of the characteristics that would come to define the succeeding Regency style. The gently bowed pilaster jambs and subtly curved frieze lend the composition a graceful refinement, while the finely carved flowerhead roundels attest to the hand of a highly accomplished craftsman. The tablet is centred with a carved tazza urn, a quintessential Neoclassical motif inspired by the art and architecture of ancient Greece and Rome. Such ornament reflects the profound influence of Classical antiquity on British design during the eighteenth century, when architects and craftsmen embraced its forms to establish a new architectural language founded on balance, proportion, and elegance. For similar examples see Neil Burton & Lucy Potten, Georgian Chimneypieces (The Georgian Group, 2000), p.18.