Antique French Louis XVI-Style Gilt Metal Adjustable Fireplace Fender (Chenets) with Flaming Urn Finials and Cameo Medallions
Antique French Louis XVI-Style Gilt Metal Adjustable Fireplace Fender (Chenets) with Flaming Urn Finials and Cameo Medallions
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Item Title: Antique French Louis XVI-Style Gilt Metal Adjustable Fireplace Fender (Chenets) with Flaming Urn Finials and Cameo Medallions, Circa 1870-1910
Additional Description:
A decorative antique gilt metal fireplace fender in the Neoclassical Louis XVI taste. Two architectural pedestal ends are joined by a pierced, telescoping center bar, so the width can be adjusted to fit different lengths.
Each end is topped with a lidded urn with spiral-fluted shoulders, beaded rim, and a flame finial. Laurel-leaf swags with tassel drops hang from the urn. Below, a pedestal carries an oval beaded medallion with a dark cameo profile of a classical woman, tied with a ribbon bow. A large acanthus scroll curls out from each pedestal toward the center bar.
The base blocks have a stamped panel, rosette feet, and leaf and guilloche-style moldings. The center rail has an egg-and-dart style top molding, acanthus clusters, pierced cartouche-shaped openings, and a scrolling wave-pattern lower band.
Era:
Circa 1870-1910, Late 19th to early 20th C. Louis XVI / Neoclassical Revival style. The design follows 18th c French model, but the casting, hardward, and telescoping mechanism suggest a later revival piece.
History:
Gilt metal chenets and fenders were a hallmark of fine French interiors. The Louis XVI period (1774-1792) favored Neoclassical motifs: urns, flames, laurel swags, ribbons, and cameo portraits inspired by antiquity and the excavations at Herculaneum and Pompeii.
In the 19th century, the Louis XVI Revival brought these forms back fro salons, libraries, and bedchambers. Makers also introduced adjustable fenders, which could be fitted to different fireplace openings, and some were made in large quantities for the French and export markets.
Provenance: Austin Auction House. Likely French or Continental European.
Materials:
Cast Gilt Metal, Dark Enameled Cameo Portrait
Dimensions:
Disclaimers/Condition:
Good antique decorative condition with wear consistent with age and use. The gilding shows rubbing, darkening, and uneven patina, with areas of oxidation and some surface dirt. The cameo faces are glossy black with minor wear and small flecks of loss. Minor scratches and pitting are present.
Item Title: Antique French Louis XVI-Style Gilt Metal Adjustable Fireplace Fender (Chenets) with Flaming Urn Finials and Cameo Medallions, Circa 1870-1910
Additional Description:
A decorative antique gilt metal fireplace fender in the Neoclassical Louis XVI taste. Two architectural pedestal ends are joined by a pierced, telescoping center bar, so the width can be adjusted to fit different lengths.
Each end is topped with a lidded urn with spiral-fluted shoulders, beaded rim, and a flame finial. Laurel-leaf swags with tassel drops hang from the urn. Below, a pedestal carries an oval beaded medallion with a dark cameo profile of a classical woman, tied with a ribbon bow. A large acanthus scroll curls out from each pedestal toward the center bar.
The base blocks have a stamped panel, rosette feet, and leaf and guilloche-style moldings. The center rail has an egg-and-dart style top molding, acanthus clusters, pierced cartouche-shaped openings, and a scrolling wave-pattern lower band.
Era:
Circa 1870-1910, Late 19th to early 20th C. Louis XVI / Neoclassical Revival style. The design follows 18th c French model, but the casting, hardward, and telescoping mechanism suggest a later revival piece.
History:
Gilt metal chenets and fenders were a hallmark of fine French interiors. The Louis XVI period (1774-1792) favored Neoclassical motifs: urns, flames, laurel swags, ribbons, and cameo portraits inspired by antiquity and the excavations at Herculaneum and Pompeii.
In the 19th century, the Louis XVI Revival brought these forms back fro salons, libraries, and bedchambers. Makers also introduced adjustable fenders, which could be fitted to different fireplace openings, and some were made in large quantities for the French and export markets.
Provenance: Austin Auction House. Likely French or Continental European.
Materials:
Cast Gilt Metal, Dark Enameled Cameo Portrait
Dimensions:
Disclaimers/Condition:
Good antique decorative condition with wear consistent with age and use. The gilding shows rubbing, darkening, and uneven patina, with areas of oxidation and some surface dirt. The cameo faces are glossy black with minor wear and small flecks of loss. Minor scratches and pitting are present.