Monumental Renaissance fireplace

France, 16th–17th century.
This imposing carved stone fireplace is fully in keeping with Renaissance aesthetics, both in its rigorous architecture and its antique references, as well as the ornamental richness of its decoration. It illustrates the humanist desire to reconnect with Antiquity while adapting its forms to the decorative and symbolic uses specific to the 16th century.
The horizontal lintel, emphasised by a moulded cornice and decorated with regular vertical fluting, directly evokes classical Greco-Roman architecture. This geometric sobriety contrasts with the richness of the jambs, which take the form of telamons: naked male figures, sculpted in the round, serving as architectural supports. This iconographic choice, inspired by ancient Atlanteans, gives the whole a character that is both majestic and mythological.
The bodies of these figures are idealised according to Renaissance canons: marked musculature, harmonious proportions, monumental posture. Their legs are transformed into plant elements composed of acanthus leaves, a recurring ornamental motif in the decorative arts of the period, inherited from the Corinthian order.
Dimensions: Length at the lintel: 243 cm; Total height: 214 cm; Depth at the lintel: 73 cm; Dimensions of the hearth: 169 cm high; 172 cm wide.