Spanish 17th Century Hand Forged Iron Chain

A very attractive 18th century fireplace fitment handsomely constructed from hand forged iron. Fireplace fitments such as this one were used in the large walk in kitchen fireplaces a...

A stunning pair of 17th century Spanish Colonial wooden columns beautifully carved and adorned with cherubs and bunches of grapes. These...

A stunning and monumental 17th century fireback from the Loire Valley region of France. A luxury item that served not only to adorn the fireplac...

An outstanding and exquisite 17th century French capital to a pilaster. Expertly carved from wood with a wonderful cherub stunningly finished in water gilding and polychrome. A excep...

An outstanding and grand 17th century Baroque oil painting on an oval wooden panel of the Madonna and Child. Beautifully executed and stunning patina.

A very handsome early 17th century Door from Venice, Italy. Doors such as this were used to cover cupboards that were recessed into the wall. Beautifully constructed from walnut. Fab...

Wrought iron window grille that has two horizontal bars in the middle, inserted between the vertical bars. These present a decoration of small discs...

Wrought iron grating with ten vertical double-pearl bars decorated with small discs and other simpler verticals (up and down planes, the central tubular and inserted through the vert...

After a fireback once commissioned by Nicolas Fouquet, for his Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, this large iron fireback was cast in France during the late 1600s/early 1700s (the original was from 1661). Fouquet was a powerful financial advisor in the 17th century, with close ties to both Cardinals Richelieu and Mazarin, as well as Louis XIV himself. At the young age of 19, Fouquet was appointed by Richelieu as “councilor of the Parliament of Metz”, an important city in northeast France. Fouquet would eventually rise to become Superintendent of Finances (Surintendant des finances) of France until he was imprisoned by Louis XIV in 1661 (Fouquet’s extravagant displays of wealth conflicted with the heavy debt incurred by the crown, causing Louis XIV to believe that Fouquet was embezzling). Interestingly, Fouquet was arrested unsuspectingly by d’Artagnan, who would later be fictionalized in the Alexandre Dumas novel, Les Trois Mousquetaires (known in English as The Three Musketeers). Our large and thick fireback features military and musical motifs flanking an oval coat of arms medallion. The overall shape of the fireback is rectangular, with an arched top that is filled by an open crown that tops the heraldic display, which consists of a banded husked wreath surrounding four scrolled “F’s” that are pierced by an arrow. There is a crinkled ribbon at the bottom that folds over the wreath and trails down below. On the right side of the medallion is a five-string lyre in front of laurel and acanthus leaves. To the left of the coat of arms is a crested helmet over a sword sheath...

Fireback with the coat of arms of France from the 18th century reproduced in the book "Plaques de Cheminées" by Henri Carpentier, page 206.

17th-18th century French toaster hand forged, made of wrought iron. To toast bread or other food next to the fire. The toaster is in a good working condition.  

Unique and wonderful folk art coat of arms, Depicting a eagle holding a rabbit, two crosses and two castle's and on the top a grotesque head. This beautiful period piece is made out ...