31/07/2026
Some fireplaces tell a story not only through their design, but also through the journey they have made.
This wooden Louis XIV mantelpiece, executed in an early eighteenth-century style inspired by the designs of Daniel Marot, is a wonderful example.
The earliest known location of the mantelpiece is the villa at Zuiderstraat 3 in Leeuwarden. At the time, the building served as a charitable foundation providing accommodation for elderly single women in need. It is, however, clear that this was not the mantelpiece's original setting. Historic photographs show that the mantelpiece was actually too low for the room: an additional upper section was therefore added above the cornice to make it fit the space. The canvas painting was not originally made for this chimney breast either, but was at some point cut down to fit within the panel.
In 1970, the villa was demolished to make way for the expansion of the adjacent bank building. Around 1981, the mantelpiece found a new home in the residence in Delden of the then Queen's Commissioner of Friesland, Mr Rijpstra (1919–2011), and his wife, who had previously served on the board of the Leeuwarden foundation.
Following the couple's passing, the mantelpiece eventually reached our gallery in Haarlem through the art trade.
It remains fascinating how a wandering object such as this mantelpiece bears the traces of the people, buildings, and events of which it has formed a part over the centuries.
