Decorative Arched mantels (circa 1860 to 1880)
 | Mantels / Italianate mantels / Arched mantels / Decorative Arched mantels Decorative arched mantels were a subset of the arched mantel that was somewhat common in the late 1870s. These mantels were shipped with four parts: the curved jambs, the medallion that covered the seam between the curved jambs, and the mantel shelf. These mantels had varying degrees of decoration, with the most decorative example appearing in a millwork catalog shown here. The mantel shelf of these mantels was more likely to be shaped than most other Italianate mantels. The most common shelf was type E (33% of these mantels). The simple rectangular shelf A represented 28% of these mantels, and shelf B represented 11%. These mantels were the most likely to have the fairly rare shelf F (22% of this set). Shelf G, shown here, only appeared in the Penrhyn catalog of 1869. The mantel with a merlon shelf is one of the most rare versions of the Italianate mantel. It has a distinct three-part shelf, although its appearances in catalogs in the late 1870s indicate a variety of decorative motifs on its spandrels. This specific mantel comes from the 1877 Bradley & Currier catalog (page 28): 
|
|
Millwork catalog references: Penrhyn (1869) page 19 ; Bradley & Currier (1877) page 17 (3), 22 (2), 23 (2), 25, 28 (3), 34 (3), 37 ; Barber & Henderson (1878) page 24, 26, 32, 33, 37 ; Nichols (1880) page 3, 7, 8, 11, 12 ; Charles Williams' Sons (1880) page 34, D ; | |