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A fine George III carved Statuary marble and Blue John chimneypiece, circa 1780.
The double inverted breakfront, compound and dentil moulded shelf sits above a rectangular tablet finely carved with Diana and her attendants. This is flanked by Gothic arcades, outlines with inlaid Blue John and filled with stylised anthmions above a running band of Blue John. The opening is carved with guilloche moulding and flanked by tapered corbels decorated with graduated discs of Blue John within moulded frames. Jambs are headed by carved blocks, in the form of classical female figures, depicting ‘Music’ and ‘Art’, and are faised on moulded base blocks.
Blue John is a variety of fluorspar found in Derbyshire and known in France as ‘Blu-jaune’ hence the English name. Quarried since Roman times, Blue John became highly fashionable during the reign of George III in the 1770’s.
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