Ashford Marble Pietra Dura Obelisks

An excellent mid19^th Century pair of Ashford black marble obelisks inlaid with a selection of specimen marbles applied to the front of each column in a decorative manner and raised on stepped spreading feet

 Sorry, this item has been sold. If you would like information about similar items please contact us on 07971850405 or make an enquiry via email here.

---

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Height:                                      43 cm     

---

Width:                                  12.5 cm                    

---

Condition:                               Good Condition with wear commensurate of age

---

Circa:                                         1860

---

Materials:                               Black marble with specimen inlays

---

SKU:                                           8608

---

ABOUT

Ashford Black Marble

Ashford Black Marble is the name given to a dark limestone, quarried from mines near Ashford-in-the-Water, in Derbyshire, England. Once cut, turned and polished, its shiny black surface is highly decorative. Ashford Black Marble is a very fine-grained sedimentary rock and is not a true marble in the geological sense. It can be cut and inlaid with other decorative stones and minerals, using a technique known as Pietra Dura.

The mineral has been used decoratively since prehistoric times; the first recorded customer was Bess of Hardwick in 1580.

There was a thriving trade in the manufacture of urns, obelisks and other decorative items from Ashford Black Marble during the late 18th and early 19th century. John Mawe had a museum in Matlock Bath that dealt in black marble and Ann Rayner engraved pictures, next door at another museum, on black marble using a diamond. Many fine examples of engraved and inlaid black marble exist in local collections, including those of Derby Museum, Buxton Museum, and Chatsworth House.