Stock No.12624
A rare and unusual Art Nouveau fireplace mantel in the manner of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Built in two sections in the early 1900s in cast iron
with the original well-executed and detailed faux woodgrain, painted pattern,
it features classic slender and intricate, Art Nouveau tree and plant detail which is also somewhat reminiscent of the style of artist illustrator, Aubrey Beardsley. The central plaque, fitted separately, is also cast iron, but patinated dark bronze. It shows three Tulip trees with a double ribbon threading through them, against a detailed background showing left to right -.a rising quarter moon over a distant mountain range, in the midground the top of a pyramid and stylised North Star; to the right is a setting sun with human facial features; in the foreground the sea laps against the shore with a bluebird, butterfly and dragonfly in flight above. Research is ongoing but the styling and features are clearly derived from The Glasgow School of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. See notes below.
NOTES : CHARLES RENNIE MACKINTOSH. Throughout his life, Mackintosh displayed a singular style, one that ran closely with those of his contemporaries, but still had its own flair. One of his signature elements was a highly stylized rose. You can find it on a number of his pieces, whether architecturally or in paintings. He utilized vertical lines in long succession, peaceful symmetry, and tone saturation in paint and materials. The lines, textures, and figures were a pleasing hybrid of nouveau and deco. His less architectural work still maintained a bone of structure that was very Mackintosh. Human figures and flower stems were long and lean, curving like ceiling trusses.
On the back of the plaque are the moulded marks for Wilson and Mathieson, The Scotch Foundry, Leeds, Registered No. 393149, Design No. 100.
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width |
height |
depth |
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71 1⁄2"
181.5 cms |
86 5⁄8"
220 cms |
13"
33 cms |
|
41 7⁄8"
106.5 cms |
40"
101.5 cms |
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Link to: Antique Arts and Crafts, Aesthetic, Art Nouveau mantels and Art Deco fireplaces and chimneypieces.