Its rarity and beauty made it a popular choice for important architectural projects, such as work on palaces and lavish interiors – including fireplaces.
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In this guide we explore Breche Violette marble in antique fireplaces, a stunning combination with a rich history.
Its rarity and beauty made it a popular choice for important architectural projects, such as work on palaces and lavish interiors – including fireplaces.
Several parts of the Palace of Versailles in France feature this type of marble.
For example, several parts of the Palace of Versailles in France – created in effect by Louis XIV – feature this type of marble.
The French word “breche” comes from the Italian “breccia,” which describes a rock made up of broken fragments held together by fine-grained material.
What is Breche Violette marble?
This type of marble comes from the town of Seravezza, near the famous Carrara region in Italy.
As a type of breccia marble, Breche Violette owes its bold colouring to complex geological processes that took place over thousands of years.
This type of marble comes from the town of Seravezza, near the famous Carrara region in Italy. This distinctive marble features a mix of colours, ranging from white to deep violet, with shades of pink in between, all bound together by a violet-toned cement
Its rich colours and intricate patterns added a sense of grandeur, luxury and refinement to architectural and interior designs.
- In decorative arts, artisans often used this marble for inlays and decorative panels of cabinets or other furniture
- Its deep colours often created a striking contrast with other materials such as gilt bronze, ivory and wood
- Skilled craftsmen carefully positioned the marble’s veining to highlight both the stone’s natural beauty and their own artistry
Although widely used in prestigious projects, the limited supply of Breche Violette marble increased its exclusivity. As a result, furniture and decorative pieces featuring this rare stone became highly prized.
Louis XV and Louis XVI antique fireplaces with Breche Violette marble
Louis XV (reigning 1715-74) and Louis XVI (reigning 1774-92, the last king before the French Revolution) both made interior alterations to the aforementioned Palace of Versailles. There are many examples of beautiful Breche Violette marble fireplaces from the 18th century.
This is an exceptional Louis XV Rococo fireplace in dramatically figured Breche Violette marble of grand proportions. The moulded serpentine shelf rests on the wide frieze, also of serpentine form, boldly carved with a central rocaille motif and panels.
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Here is a fine Louis XVI fireplace in boldly veined green and violet Breche Violette marble, with floral endblock paterae either side of the low fluted frieze, supported on acanthus leaf adorned jambs:
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This small and delightful Louis XVI style Breche Violette fireplace together with its original fine steel and brass insert is framed within a well-defined brass overlapping laurel leaf band:
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And here is a chic Louis XVI fireplace mantel carved in Breche Violette marble with applied ormolu mounts in the manner of Pierre Gouthiere (1732-1813). He was appointed ciseliste, doreur, bronze-chaser and gilder by the Menus-Plaisirs du Roi in the Palace of Versailles.
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The shelf is set above an inset frieze above the jambs which are fronted by a pair of beautiful finely tapering stop fluted columns, each in the form of a stylised quiver of arrows resting on elegant footblocks.
Breche Violette marble in English antique fireplaces
Antique furniture and decorative objects featuring this striking stone remain highly desirable and sought after.
Across the English Channel, several notable designers and architects also used Breche Violette marble in their works.
William Kent designed interiors and furniture for many famous buildings – the William Kent style drew on classical influences and rich ornamentation associated with Italian Baroque.
The chimneypiece below, made in the 19th century, bears a striking resemblance to the chimneypiece in the Red Dining Room at Raynham Hall in Norfolk, designed by Inigo Jones in the late 17th century. The chimneypiece was probably designed by Kent.
Kent refashioned Raynham Hall in 1731 in collaboration with James Richards (1718-1759), who became the ‘Master Sculptor and Carver in Wood’ and received credit for the chimneypiece carving.
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This antique Kent-style Palladian fireplace is carved in pure white statuary marble with Breche Violette end-blocks and ingrounds. It has a prominent corniced shelf set over a beautifully scrolled foliate carved frieze, centred by a simple Breche Violette plaque.
Finally, here is a very smart English Regency specimen marble chimneypiece, circa 1820, inlaid with Breche Violette marble panels, cut and opened like a book to reveal symmetrical veining. The oval plaque on the frieze and the flanking end blocks are of inlaid Convent Sienna marble.
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Antique furniture and decorative objects featuring this striking stone remain highly desirable and sought after.
Westland London has specialised in antique fireplaces for more than 50 years. We have one of the largest collections of fine antique chimneypieces in the world.
We also have many beautiful Victorian period fireplaces, while our entire collection spans the centuries. If you have any queries about an antique you see on our website, please don’t hesitate to contact us.