A LOUIS XV RANCE ROYAL MARBLE CHIMNEY PIECE
Lot 64 THE PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTOR
(LOTS 62-65)

A LOUIS XV RANCE ROYAL MARBLE CHIMNEY PIECE

SECOND QUARTER 18TH CENTURY

Closed4 December 2008

Price Realised

GBP 37,250

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A LOUIS XV RANCE ROYAL MARBLE CHIMNEY PIECE
SECOND QUARTER 18TH CENTURY
The arc-en-arbalète moulded top above a foliate-carved frieze centred by a shell flanked by rockwork, the acanthus-carved supports headed by stylised shells and flowerheads and terminating in volute scrolls
43½ in. (110.5 cm.) high; 46½ in. (118 cm.) wide; 11½ in. (29 cm.) deep

With Bernard Steinitz, Paris.

Specialist note

With its finely-carved central shell and angles adorned with rockwork clasps above scroll-carved supports, this chimney-piece reflects the essence of rococo in its most elegant form.

Rance Royal had been mined in the Belgian province of Hainaut since Roman Antiquity, but it was particularly in the 17th and early 18th century that it was considered one of the most desirable marbles. In fact, Rance Royal was chosen for the decoration of some of the most prestigious rooms at Versailles, including the walls of the Gallerie des Glaces as well as the columns of the main portico to the Cour des Marbres and it is since often refered to as Rance Royal.