At Antique Surfaces we are humbled by one of the most extensive stock of mesmerizing architectural antiques ever to be assembled under one roof. As a first tier reclaimer of various stone elements we have been lucky to work directly on unique reclamation and restoration projects from around the world. We help bring into our clientele homes a much needed connoisseur-ship backed by a solid 40 years old field expertise.
The restoration process of any original carved stone element is undertaken with extreme care and is focused on meticulous attention to details. Salvaging and restoring limestone from privately owned ruined villas, farmhouses, manors and even castles gives us an unobstructed birdseye view and insight into the boutique European stone reclamation business.
Every time we reclaim a never seen before antique limestone fireplace design, we are quickly reminded of the vast and seemingly unlimited ingenuity of stone carvers and stone designers of past centuries.
Being in proximity to antique limestone objects of infinite beauty and character turns anyone into a firm believer in the importance and need to preserve our collective carving traditions from the unforgiving wrecking balls of progress and the unstoppable path of modernization and standardization.
The patina created by centuries of exposure to natural elemental forces is in its own right an art worthy of preserving and safeguarding. Our Arcane limestone fireplaces don’t even look like they belong to our earthly realm and are considered by many top designers and architects to be the pinnacle of antique fireplaces.
If you like this current blog entry we invite you to keep on browse the rest of our entries as they contain more images of dreamy, in situ, antique stone fireplaces that are part of our premium Ancient Surfaces stone mantles collection.
This Online catalog selection featuring some of our captivating antique limestone fireplaces were taken from our own printed fireplace catalog from 2011 to 2016.
One of a kind antique limestone fireplace hundreds of years old reclaimed and restored by hand, shipped from Spain to a French castle in the Dordogne region close to the Limousine national forest.
A captivating antique Limestone Fireplace that features an over mantle or a ‘trumeaux’ as its called in French.
A lovely antique stone fireplace with an etched Cross motif on its midsection. This Cross is known as the Maltese Cross.
A finely carved crest of two lions flanking a Medici vase is the main characteristic of this antique 15th century fireplace.
A beige limestone antique fireplace dating back to the 17th century. This lovely stone mantle was restored to its formed glory by the capable hands of our professional artisans who had to change and beef up its top shelf and extend its legs.
This antique Italian beige limestone fireplace was supplied, restored and installed for this charming private Italian Villa. Over the years, the list of our clientele has grown into the thousands and reads like a Forbes 500 list.
Both our clients and competitors admire the rarity and uniqueness of our one of a kind Antique Fireplace Mantles that we salvage and carefully (and sometime painstakingly) restore back to their original splendor without defacing the time honored patina that those pieces have acquired during their temporal journey since their hand carving centuries ago.
We are trying to move with the times by making our entire Yard stocks becoming digitally available for online viewing.
This massive undertaking required tens of thousands of man hours worth of documentation, data entry, archiving and classifications.
We’ll be keeping everyone updated on this herculean undertaking as the months or even maybe years role by!
To learn more about those fascinating and unique architectural gems as well as their hand carved exact replicas feel free to please contact us through our website at Ancient Surfaces.
Architectural antiques contemplation as featured in one of our clients homes in Belgium… By Ancient Surfaces.
It is no secret that we carry one of the worlds most massive and varied range stock of reclaimed stone architectural elements such as garden ornaments stone pavers, limestone fireplaces antique stone sinks and much more.
Vignettes of our architectural antique stone elements as seen in our showrooms, yards and installed projects.
We are trying to move with the times by making our entire Yard stocks becoming digitally available for online viewing. We hope that one day we can also show most of our published projects that now neighbor in the low hundreds.
Our antique stone yards are a true sight to behold since they look like lost cities out of temporal and physical continuum.
We don’t meant to go all Philosophical on you on a blog but we do find it hard to pick the right words to describe our reclaimed finds.
At the end of the day it’s now what we amass but what we transfer and how much we help to safeguard to the next generation hoping that each generation that follows may some day have the appreciation, respect and passion for what came before it.
Till that moment a significant segment of our written, painted, carved and cataloged human heritage will have to be preserved by conscientious patrons that will respect and preserve those pieces of art down their lineage.
Vignettes of our architectural antique stone elements in our showrooms and yards. Provided by Ancient Surfaces.
This massive undertaking required tens of thousands of man hours worth of documentation, data entry, archiving and classifications.
Vignettes of our architectural antique stone elements as seen in our showrooms and yards. By Ancient Surfaces.
We’ll be keeping everyone updated on this herculean undertaking as the months or even maybe years role by!
Vignettes of our architectural antique stone elements as seen in our showrooms and yards. By Ancient Surfaces.
To learn more about those fascinating and unique architectural gems as well as their hand carved exact replicas feel free to please contact us through our website at Ancient Surfaces.
A simple fireplace hand carved in natural stone installed with herringbone brick inlay into the firebox.This simple limestone carved fireplace is Tuscan in design installed with a thick stone hearth ad terracotta bricks. Running bond brick are inlay inside the firebox.A simple French fireplace hand carved in natural stone installed with horizontal and vertical running bond firebox bricks.Another Italian inspired simple fireplace hand carved in natural stone installed with an inserted, benched, raised stone hearth.A simple Tudor fireplace hand carved in natural stone installed with herringbone bricks, lining the insides of this gas burning firebox.This Italian countryside fireplace was hand carved out of limestone & installed with an interesting crisscross herringbone pattern.A unique hand carved limestone fireplace coupled with its own custom seating bench. Ideal for outdoor settings, and family rooms. The middle Floral is an old European symbol of the Virgin Mary, is carved and mounted on a the middle keystone.Side profile of the same hand carved limestone fireplace shown just above.
We still consider ourselves apprentices who are in constantly pursuit of perfecting our craft by learning more and more about our past and how to better merge it with our present contemporary setting because once you stop learning about your roots and origins you stop caring about your future projection and stop growing as a company or as individuals.
we wanted to shine some light on these beautiful bedrooms inspired by the same classic styles of Architectural Digest Magazine and Veranda Magazine. Only this time the subtle and sophisticated take on modern classic decor is distinguished and gives us a glimpse of hope in making this beautiful era relative to our contemporary and multi-cultural lives.
some of their furniture shown in those images only appears ancient because of the antique aging process and hand-waxed lacquer finish but the detail in craftsmanship is undeniable so we won’t hold that against them. Using metallic fabrics and bold color in unexpected places while remaining true to the idiosyncratic fashion of the old world is simply a great combination for any period room. Wouldn’t it be grand to wake up in one of these royal-sized beds with the sun shining into your massive french windows as you examine the finishing touches of such flawlessly elaborate architecture and ponder the meaning of life? We’d like to think so…
Here you will see Baroque and Medieval inspired bedrooms with a modern flair. We only hope you come back to reality soon enough to enjoy our next post!
Luberon Fireplace Mantle in a master Bedroom 16th CenturyBeautiful Architectural Bedroom FireplaceGlamorous bedroom ornate fireplaceAntique Italian FireplaceMaster bedroom fireplace
Reclaimed Limestone Fireplace Mantle Salvaged from Belgium
Antique Reclaimed Fireplace Mantle in California
An Antique fireplace mantel is possibly the most important piece of furniture that you’ll purchase for your house because it’s a permanent fixture that will survive the perpetual remodeling(s) and style changes a home will have to endure over its lifetime. This mantle above was salvaged from France and was raised by a hearth to be custom fitted for an existing fireplace box in California. Most antique mantles could benefit from a hearth or surround stone pieces that will position them better with their boxes and rooms they are in for more information about our antique fireplaces visit: http://www.ancientsurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html
Antique Reclaimed French Fireplace Mantle in the Backyard
They project a classic look to a living room, warmth and coziness in a bedroom, or a meditative and unwinding therapy by the poolside patio. Running Bond Reclaimed Limestone inside the Firebox. These mantels have stood the test of time unlike their brand new counterparts. A good antique reclaimer would also offer an arsenal of refurbished antique accessories to complement the whole antique mantels ambiance that you’re trying to create in your home. Such items include ancient metal gates, antique herringbone bricks used to line the insides of the fireboxes, to the simple yet elegant hearth & surround stones, classic andiron, fire backs and baskets all salvaged from the 17th to the 19th century. Please visit our fireplace page for more information—> http://www.ancientsurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html
Classic timeless pieces from the Norman and Medieval, Italian and French Renaissance or Edwardian and Victorian eras are some of the best fireplace school of styles to choose from. This fireplace above was reclaimed from Italy and is of a classical Medieval Italian countryside design. See more at—> http://www.ancientsurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html
While picking from a variety of ancient hand carved stone mantels, generally, those offered by dealers are mainly simple with the occasional corbel legs to them like the French countryside fireplaces, or simple English Jacobean mantels with a nice bolection frame common during that era. To learn more about those types of simple fireplaces please visit our website at—>http://www.ancientsurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html
Antique Reclaimed French Fireplace
Various kinds of stone such as dolomite limestone, brecciated marble or even basalt rock in some instances were used by past carvers to create some of Europe’s most elaborate fireplace mantels for the past ten centuries. The best kind of stone to carve fireplaces out of in Limestone. Uncontested, it helps provide mantles with an eternal beauty and great heat conductivity while achieving a legendary level in hardness and durability. It’s no surprise that most well-preserved stone fireplaces in the world were once carved out of this highly prized natural sub-class called ‘Oolitic Limestone’ also known in French as ‘La Pierre Froide’. http://www.ancientsurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html
Antique Fireplace with the Keystone
As for the style of mantles goes, the most popular kind of fireplace mantel today are South European or the Tuscan or French Bastide and Normandy style that are based on one simple philosophy of the simpler the better as long as that simplicity didn’t stand for losing the fireplace’s personality and character like few minimalistic modern design suggest today. http://www.ancientsurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html
Antique Reclaimed Louis XV French Fireplace
Mostly sculptures realized in this style were a way for lesser wealthy individuals to afford a hand carved stone fireplace which still struck a chord with its viewing audience. They still offered a perfect balance of design and proportion based of the utilization the ‘Golden Ratio’ and ‘Golden Mean’. For example look at the fireplace mantle named AF-1100 shown above. http://www.ancientsurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html
Antique Fireplace Cared Using the Golden Ratio
You can feel and see its beauty and proportionality despite the simplistic carving lines it features. This is because it was design and engineered hundred of years ago by a French master carver who planned every ligne, every curvature , and every proportion using specific geometric formulas that puts any modern university math professor to shame!http://www.ancientsurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html
Antique Mantle in a Medieval Manor
Many European master carvers during the late Medieval and Renaissance periods utilized many other carving and visual techniques such as the play on the visual perspective, ‘Chiaroscuro’ shade manipulations, ‘Foreshortening’ the play with lines, and ‘Sfumato’ which consist on blurring or not fully carving a section to give it a perception of distance. http://www.ancientsurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html
Antique Reclaimed Fireplace with Vegetation and Leafage Carvings
Just as in paintings all European eras have been splendidly depicted in these hand carved mantels that speak volumes of Europe’s glory days & fall from grace. If anyone desires to design a house keeping a particular style in mind then European mantels offer such a versatile outlet for you. http://www.ancientsurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html
The earliest known mantel piece is the one in the Kings House in Southampton. It was carved in the 12th century and is a classic example of splendid old masters craftsmanship. A very wonderful example of the early Renaissance style fireplaces is the mantelpiece of the ‘Palais de Justice at Burges’ or the main fireplace mantle at the Versailles castle. http://www.ancientsurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html
Seventeenth century English era saw the introduction of pure Italian style of fireplace mantel pieces. These mantels were very simple in style but had an elegant look. It was only in the latter part of the 17th century that bolder and molding styles were introduced. http://www.ancientsurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html
Antique Reclaimed 18th Century French Fireplace with Trumeau
Antique Reclaimed Fireplace Mantle from the 17th Century
The other different but very elegant styles of fireplace mantels include the Classic Tudor, Jacobean, Victorian, Georgian, Gothic, Louis Style, Pompadour, Directoire… Antique fireplace mantels of the above mentioned eras and designs have gained a lot of popularity nowadays.
Salvaging isn’t only a happening kinda think that started in the last few years with the rise of the global green conscience… It’s a bit early than that.
Well OK let’s go WAY back here… Back to 3500 B.C. or 5500 years ago to the first recorded human battle: “The Battle for Hamoukar” story has it that an early city army in what is known today as modern-day Iraq invaded the city of Hamoukar in modern-day Syria and took it over. Researchers tell us that clay pots, massive mills and grinding wares from one culture were used by the conquerors far after they’ve won the battle. Evidence shows that cooking utensils from the conquered city kept on being used for at least a few more generations! In essence early reclamation was inseparable from conquest and keeping the spoils of war. Visit our website at: http://www.AncientSurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html
Reenactment in utilization of ancient cooking tools and techniques. Similar cooking tools were salvaged by humans and reused from one culture to the next.
Today reclamation and salvaging have undoubtedly become part of our human psyche and daily lives, developing into the skillful art of re-purposing a once neglected and discarded item into a functional and lively ‘ object d’art ‘ of intense beauty and a colorful past. Visit our main website at: http://www.AncientSurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html
A 200 years old ruined stone farmhouse in the American Midwest
Even though the basic building materials have always been the same: stone, cooked earth and lumber, the items salvaged from two rundown farmhouses in provenance for example could differ vastly in salvaged content. Age and village being the same, style, level of craftsmanship, size, attention to details, color and current condition play major roles in determining the items final public appeal and therefore cost of an old fireplace from another. For more information visit our website at: http://www.AncientSurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html
Salvaged Twice! one as a fireplace the second as an entryway.
For the reclaimer the fireplaces or what is normally left of them are the “Pièce de résistance ” in an old home. On average only one in five reclaimed structures offers unique original fireplace mantles that are significant enough to be refurbished and restored back to their former glory. This entryway to a private Italian villa shown in the picture above, was once a vibrant fireplace mantle of another structure that was demolished a couple of hundred years ago. Reclamation is no different from coal mining you just never know when you might find a hidden diamond! For more information visit our website at: http://www.AncientSurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html
Another Architectural gem nestled between overgrown shrubs in Europe
It’s more like a diamond in the rough really. It takes time, skills and passion in locating all the missing pieces and finding out how they all fit into this massive jigsaw puzzles called antique fireplaces. If you like to see more of our reclaimed mantels please visit our website at: http://www.AncientSurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html
Ancient Reclaimed Medieval Walk-in MantelAn Antique Stone Fireplace with 3 Layers of Paint, Missing its Top Shelf. Image taken prior to reclamation.
More time then often all the original pieces of a fireplace are not all found so a substitution of a few pieces are deemed necessary to complete the transition from the mount of broken terracotta floors, stone walls and piles of foliage and dirt into a fireplace in a lucky client’s living room! For more information about our reclaimed antique fireplaces please visit our website at: www.AncientSurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html
A French Antique fireplace mantel getting reclaimed with the help of a hydraulic crane. Step-2-
Eventually everything in this ruined farmhouse gets saved and reused from the old wood beams, the stone walls, the ancient furniture and the limestone floors all get a second chance in other people home. For more information about our reclaimed antique fireplaces please visit our website at: www.AncientSurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html
A French Antique fireplace mantel getting reclaimed with the help of a hydraulic crane. Step-3-
In a way the memory of this farmhouse, its walls, floors and fireplace will live on for centuries to come giving a new meaning to the term reincarnation. Please visit our website at: www.AncientSurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html
Installed ancient fireplace mantle in a French Provence style home
A similar fireplace from the same age and provenance as the reclaimed fireplace above shown installed in a French provincial style home. For more information please visit our site at: www.AncientSurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html
Covered with layers of moss, barnacles and traces of ancient paint every single stone piece is a gem by itself reveling interesting clues of what life looked like just a few hundred years back in farmhouses across the south of Europe and on the Mediterranean coast. To learn more please visit our site at: http://www.AncientSurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html
This Antique fireplace mantle was showcased in a Malibu house half way across the world from where it was originally reclaimed and restored from. For more information about our reclaimed antique fireplaces please visit our website at: www.AncientSurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html
Architectural Digest Magazine April 2011. An antique reclaimed fireplace mantel in Malibu, CA
This beauty feels right in home with its surroundings in sunny Malibu, California. For more information about our reclaimed antique fireplaces please visit our website at: www.AncientSurfaces.com/Antique-Fireplaces.html
The Antique Mantle prior to installation as featured in AD 2011 April Edition
To in involved in this reclamation process is nothing short of a spiritual experience were one painstakingly rediscovers the lost and narrow path to redemption and enlightenment trough hard labor, vision and determination.
Antique Fireplace Prior to Reclamation in an Old Italian Mansion
We do get asked a good question that we feel the need to address: Why not restore the structures and preserve this history within them for generations to come? And the simple answer to that question is that its impossible to restore every single structure ever built until the last century!
Cinque Terre May 26th 2011- A new meaning for people living on top of each other.
Both private and public owners around the world are constantly facing that same dilemma, to make the tough choice between what to restore and what not. As demand for the existing land slowly overtakes the preservation needs of earlier structures, (built-in the last few hundred years) the unfortunate choice becomes more obvious as a triage approach becomes necessary. The bright side to this story is that nothing gets wasted nowadays.
Antique Fireplace Mantle Prior to Reclamation
The image of a wrecking ball destroying great-grandpa’s cottage is a thing of the past. Thanks to the public awareness of multiple millions of professional and armature reclaimers alike, more people from around the world have developed a passion in reusing and restoring every single old fragment that gets demolished: from this old nails to that old wallpaper!
A stunning antique fireplace in an ancient farmhouse in Europe
There are interesting stories to each reclaimed mantle because they usually capture the essence of the ancient structures they once came from.
Antique fireplace mantle in a french villa in Avignon Circa 1610 A.D.
Even when the fireplace origins are unknown it could still shed a bit of light about its lineage.
Reclaimed Mantle Near the Town of Avignon
By knowing what to look for and paying attention to every minute detail within the mantles one can start understanding the hidden markers.
Reclaimed Mantle Maltese Stars
Just like in humans were the eyes could be the window to the soul, as they say, the mantle midsection could carry a ton of information on who the mantle owners were and what they held dear to their harts.
Ancient Limestone Lintel of an Antique Fireplace Mantle with a French Coat-of-Arms
From a scribbled date or a capitalized initials, to a carved cote-of-arms or an angle cut of a keystone may be found and maybe indicative to the origins of each piece.
Reclaimed Mantles in situ in an Old coastal Italian private villa
The general rule of thumb is that the more unique and individual an antique mantle was, the more pivotal the villa or mansion it must have been in.
Ancient Fireplace Reclaimed from Spain installed in a castle in California Circa 1650
Notably, as time went on, the stone fireplace mantle became a defining marker of nobility and a Status symbols in all European countries and kingdoms with no exception.
Reclaimed Mantle Villa Benata
It became so much so ‘the’ status symbol that it was were many European families chose to carve their Heraldic arms and last names on, which in itself was the most important socioeconomic marker of the 13th century and still is in some ways.
Ancient Norman era fireplace mantle with a threatening coat of arms
Gothic Tudor style fireplaces that contain very little to no decorative carvings are perfect candidates for any Asiatic, Feng Shui Style home.
Antique Fireplaces 
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