Stock No: 13572

'PLUM PUDDING'.
A rare Irish Gothic Revival Fossil chimneypiece of the Regency Period carved in reddish brown Armagh Marble. The deeply moulded shelf of this imposing chimneypiece has projecting podiums at either end above a frieze embellished with a series of carved diamond lozenges. The shelf is supported by a pair of hexagonal free standing fluted columns in front of wide sturdy jambs and all are resting on dual five sided footblocks.
Irish, circa 1820

Notes: Sir Charles Coote, of the Royal Dublin Society, wrote in his 'Statistical
Survey of the County of Armagh' published in 1804 "...as we approach the city of Armagh the soil, though still limestone, yet changes to a purple hue and now approaches a species of marble - fossils appear of a beautiful and excellent quality, the prevailing hue is a reddish brown which mineralogists call 'Plum Pudding'. Many of the chimneypieces in Armagh and for several miles around were made of this native marble". The designer of this chimneypiece seems to have taken inspiration from ancient Greek architecture and in stripping out all ornamentation pre-empted the Art Deco movement by more than 100 years.

Link to: Antique Renaissance, Gothic Tudor Fireplace mantels and Chimneypieces: 1260 - 1600