Marble Cassolettes Sanguine and Verde Alpi Napoleon III Style - a Pair

Description

Particular pair of marble "cassolettes" with bronze finishing; they have a round base with a small central column that supports … more Particular pair of marble "cassolettes" with bronze finishing; they have a round base with a small central column that supports a circular saucer; under the base there are three bronze feet to improve stability; always under the base of a cassolette you can notice a vintage repair (see photo); the pair is very elegant and well proportioned; the "cassolettes" were vases or containers (perfume burners) which were placed on the upper edge of the fireplace mantel in pairs or one on each side next to a clock or a pendulum clock (we also suggest the bookend function); were very often made of precious metal, bronze or precious marble; our pair belongs to this last category, in fact it is composed of two very particular and rare types of marble; the green one, at the base of the columns, is the Verde Alpi (Alpine Green), it has a dark green background tone that at first glance may seem uniform, but in reality it has an infinite number of light and dark shades and white veins that characterize and distinguish it; is the marble that has one of the most beautiful shades of green in the world; this type of marble was extracted since ancient times in Val d'Aosta, in the Western Alps and was used in the construction of the Santa Maria Novella Station in Florence in 1848. The other marble is a variety of the rare Arancione Sanguine di Numidian, has a wonderful structure and a very intense orange background crossed by a more or less thick weft of white and yellowish veins; it comes from the quarries of Algiers, but the finishing and polishing are carried out in the area of Carrara (Italy), is a marble known and appreciated since ancient times. Our two ornaments were produced in France between 1870 and 1880 in the Napoleon III style or late Empire. Measures D.cm.12 H.cm.17. less