Fireplace mantel

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Fireplace mantel or mantelpiece also known as a chimneypiece originated as a projecting hood which in medieval times was built over a fireplace opening to catch the smoke, and as it evolved the decorative framework around the fireplace commonly became referred to as a fireplace mantel or mantelpiece. Elaboratly designed extending all the way up to the ceiling. Mantelpiece is now the general term for the jambs, mantel shelf, and external accessories of a fireplace. For many centuries, the chimneypiece was the most ornamental and most artistic feature of a room, but as fireplaces have become smaller, and modern methods of heating have been introduced, its artistic as well as its practical significance has grown less.

1 Fireplace mantels
2 History of fireplace mantels
3 Fireplace mantels today
4 See also
5 References

[edit] Fireplace mantels

In the early Renaissance style, the chimneypiece of the Palais de Justice at Bruges is a magnificent example; the upper portion, carved in oak, extends the whole width of the room, with statues of nearly life size of Charles V. and others of the royal family of Spain. The most prolific modern designer of chimneypieces was J. B. Piranesi, who in 1765 published a large series, on which at a later date the Empire style in France was based. In France, the finest work of the early Renaissance period is to be found in the chimneypieces, which are of infinite variety of design.

The English chimneypieces of the early seventeenth century, when the purer Italian style was introduced by Inigo Jones, were extremely simple in design, sometimes consisting only of the ordinary mantel piece, with classic architraves and shelf, the upper part of the chimney breast being paneled like the rest of the room. In the latter part of the century the classic architrave was abandoned in favor of a much bolder and more effective molding, as in the chimneypieces at Hampton Court, and the shelf was omitted.

In the eighteenth century, the architects returned to the Inigo Jones classic type, but influenced by the French work of Louis XIV. and XV. Figure sculpture, generally represented by graceful figures on each side, which assisted to carry the shelf, was introduced, and the over-mantel developed into an elaborate frame for the family portrait over the chimneypiece. Towards the close of the eighteenth century the designs of the Adam Brothers superseded all others, and a century later they came again into fashion. The Adam mantels are in wood enriched with ornament, cast in molds, sometimes copied from the carved wood decoration of old times.

Mantels or fireplace mantels are the focus of custom interior decoration. A mantel traditionally offers a unique opportunity for the architect/designer to create a personal statement unique to the room they are creating. Historically the mantel defines the architectural style of the interior decor, whether it be traditional i.e. Classic, Renaissance, Italian, French, American, Victorian, Gothic etc.

The choice of material for the mantel includes such rich materials as marble, limestone, granite, or fine woods. Certainly the most luxurious of materials is marble. In the past only the finest of rare colored and white marbles were used. Today many of those fine materials are no longer available. However, there are still found world wide many beautiful materials. The defining element of a great mantel is the design and workmanship.

A mantel offers a unique opportunity in its design for a sculptor/artisan to demonstrate their skill in carving each of the fine decorative elements. Elements such as capitals, moldings, brackets, figures, animals, fruits and vegetation are commonly used to decorate a mantel. One might say that a mantel can be an encyclopedia of sculpture. More than the material, it is the quality of the carving that defines the quality of the mantel piece thus highlighting the magnificence of the room.

[edit] History of fireplace mantels

Up to the twelfth century, fires were simply made in the middle of a home by a hypocaust, or with braziers, or by fires on the hearth and the smoke vented out the lantern in the roof. As civilizations became more sophisticated, fireplace openings began being made against the wall with a chimney to vent the smoke. This permitted for the design of very elaborate, rich, architectural centerpieces for a grand room.

The earliest chimneypiece known is that in the Kings House at Southampton, with Norman shafts in the joints carrying a segmental arch, which is attributed to the first half of the twelfth century. At a later date, in consequence of the greater width of the fireplace, flat or segmental arches were thrown across and constructed with archivolt, sometimes joggled, the thrust of the arch being resisted by bars of iron at the back.

In domestic work of the fourteenth century, the chimneypiece was greatly increased in order to allow of the members of the family sitting on either side of the fire on the hearth, and in these cases great beams of timber were employed to carry the hood; in such cases the fireplace was so deeply recessed as to become externally an important architectural feature, as at Haddon Hall. The largest chimneypiece existing is in the great hall of the Palais des Comtes at Poitiers, which is nearly 30 feet wide, having two intermediate supports to carry the hood; the stone flues are carried up between the tracery of an immense window above.

The history of carved mantels is the history of western art. Every element of European sculpture can be seen on great mantels. Many of the historically noted sculptors of the past i.e. Augustus St. Gaudens designed and carved magnificent mantels, some of which can be found on display in the worlds great museums. Exactly as the facade of a building is distinguished by its design, proportion, and detail so it is with fine mantels. The attention to carved detail is what defines a great mantel.

[edit] Fireplace mantels today

Up until the 20th century and the invention of mechanized contained heating systems, all rooms were heated essentially, by an open fire. It can be therefore understood that today a fireplace is no longer necessary for heat and now serves only as an element to enhance the grandeur of an interior space. In the present day, only rarely is a fireplace required to actually produce heat.

Its purpose, rather, is to define the architecture of a room. Hand-made fireplaces are available worldwide and of varying levels of quality. In Europe during the 19th century highly skilled artists and sculptors designed and created fireplace mantels as works of art. Today, for the most part, roughly carved and relatively inexpensive mantels are available from India and China. A somewhat recent product has been created called "cast stone" which is essentially cement pretending to be genuine stone. Today fine hand-carved natural stone mantels are only available from the United States, Italy and the U.K.^{[citation needed]}