Not currently on display at the V&A

Chimney Piece

ca. 1580-1600 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is a chimney piece made in Florence, Italy, about 1580-1600. The chimney piece is inlaid with coloured marbles in arabesques of masks, satyrs, griffins, birds and animals, flowers and fruit, with shields of arms; in the upper part is represented an open temple, beneath which stands a globe.

The inscription in the centre of the mantel, with what purports to be the signature of the painter and mosaicist, Davide Ghirlandaio, and the date 1500, is a fictitious modern addition.


Object details

Category
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 86 parts.

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Materials and techniques
Green and white marble, inlaid with coloured marbles
Brief description
Chimney piece, green and white marble with inlays, Florence, 1580-1600
Physical description
Marble chimney piece inlaid with coloured marbles in arabesques of masks, satyrs, griffins, birds and animals, flowers and fruit, with shields of arms; in the upper part is represented an open temple, beneath which stands a globe.
Dimensions
  • Height: 289.56cm
  • Width: 322.26cm
Object history
Bought in 1870.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This is a chimney piece made in Florence, Italy, about 1580-1600. The chimney piece is inlaid with coloured marbles in arabesques of masks, satyrs, griffins, birds and animals, flowers and fruit, with shields of arms; in the upper part is represented an open temple, beneath which stands a globe.

The inscription in the centre of the mantel, with what purports to be the signature of the painter and mosaicist, Davide Ghirlandaio, and the date 1500, is a fictitious modern addition.
Bibliographic references
  • List of Objects in the Art Division, South Kensington, Acquired During the Year 1870, Arranged According to the Dates of Acquisition. London: Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., p. 20
  • Brauen, Fred. [Phil. Dissertation]Cosimo Fanzago and Seventeenth Century Neapolitan Marble Decoration. Columbia University, New York, 1973
Collection
Accession number
208-1870

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Record createdAugust 29, 2008
Record URL
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