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Tudor arched stone recessed fireplace

removed from the 25 Brook Street, Mayfair, currently the 'Handel & Hendrix' museum, installed by Charles J. Duveen in the early twentieth century,

Archived Stock - This item is no longer available

Tudor arched stone recessed fireplace

removed from the 25 Brook Street, Mayfair, currently the 'Handel & Hendrix' museum, installed by Charles J. Duveen in the early twentieth century,

with single beam crenellated oak lintel with carved square bosses depicting roses, acorns and other associated motifs, the surround formed of four-centred arch with mystical beasts carved amongst foliage to the spandrels, the stop-chamfer jambs with bead moulding to the interior. Please note - fireplace has been photographed from above and in the images does not appear to align correctly - when installed it will.

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Dimensions: 136.5cm (53¾") High, 177.5cm (70") Wide, 21.5cm (8½") Deep, Opening width 138.5 cm x 95 cm high
Stock code: 78708
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The legend of Lord Joseph Duveen is well known throughout antiques and art dealing circles and lives on to this day – the success of his business allowed such philanthropic gestures as the building of the Duveen Galleries at Tate Britain and the Duveen Gallery at The British Museum which houses the Elgin Marbles, for the time being at least.

Whilst he specialised in the buying and selling of Old Master paintings, his brother Charles pursued a somewhat different career path. Having established premises in New York for the family firm ‘Duveen Brothers’, he began trading under the name of Charles of London selling the finest and rarest of early English antiques from the Tudor and Elizabethan period, also specialising in oak panelling and architectural elements. He took on the lease of a shop on Fifth Avenue, New York, and from there is credited with introducing and making fashionable such pieces to the American market.

His traded in London in 27-29 Brook Street, Mayfair, and when the opportunity arose took the lease on Number 25 as well.

“In 1905–06, C.J. Charles (Duveen) inserted a shop front to ground and first floor and gutted the ground floor to make just two large rooms: a small shop at the front with an entrance through the party wall to nos. 27/29, and a single large room which encompassed the back (now centre) room and the later rear extensions. The room was panelled with reclaimed Jacobean panelling and a Jacobean fireplace, and the extant ceiling was surely introduced at this time, all reclaimed from an unknown Stately Home(s)”

LASSCO have salvaged and sold the ceiling and now have the fireplace for sale. The substantial nature of this piece fits in with the Gothic principle of ornamented construction in that it would have been an essential structural element of the wall from which it originated. Such surrounds were found in Manor Houses from the fifteenth century and throughout the sixteenth but their design remained relatively unchanged during this time – accurate dating of them is tricky.

We can, with certainty say that Handel didn’t write the Messiah in front of it but remain hopefully suspicious that this fireplace, albeit that of his neighbours, inspired Hendrix to pen the famous lyrics, ‘I have only one burning desire, let me stand next to your fire’.