What kinds of stone objects come up most often?

Garden and architectural stonework is the largest part: troughs, bird baths, urns, planters, lions, columns, capitals, corbels and plinths. After that come staddle stones at 37 titles and Scottish granite curling stones at 35. A smaller desk-and-mantel group covers carved marble, hardstone and specimen marble pieces.

Why are so many listed as a pair?

One in four titles, 143 of 539, contains the word "pair". Stone ornament was often cut for symmetry, flanking steps, gates or a doorway. Sets of three and four turn up as well, and occasionally seven. The samples include four staddle stones, four urns, four capitals and a Four Seasons group.

How old is the stone in this category?

The dealer-entered dates run from 1700 to 1950, with 216 of 539 listings carrying a clean year. The 19th century is the single largest block. Early 20th-century dates come next, and much of that is cast or reconstituted garden stonework rather than antique carved work. A handful of samples are labelled before 1700.

Is cast stone different from carved stone?

Yes. Cast, composite and reconstituted stone is crushed stone bound with cement and moulded, made from the later 19th century onwards to imitate carved work more cheaply. In these listings it clusters in the 1900s to 1950s: garden figures, urns, benches and lions. Carved work, described as "carved" or "hand carved", sits with the older and higher-priced entries.

Does weathering count against a garden piece?

Dealers present it as a virtue. Seventeen titles use "weathered", including "weather worn" and "well patinated". One Cornish granite staddle stone is offered specifically for its lichen. On garden stone, surface age reads as evidence of a long life outdoors.

Are these pieces all British?

No. Chinese titles number 37 and cover hardstone and soapstone seals, snuff bottles, brush pots and jade carvings. Italian titles number 22, including Grand Tour marbles, and French titles 14. Isolated origins in the samples include Swedish porphyry, Istrian stone, and Inuit and Polynesian carvings. British building stones still do a lot of the describing: Purbeck, Bath, Cotswold, Ham, Pennant and York all recur.

Home > Miscellaneous > Stones > Page 11

Antique Stones

246 items · page 11 of 16

← Page 11 of 16 →

Worked stone rather than raw mineral: garden and architectural pieces cut for farms, buildings and gardens, alongside curling stones and a smaller run of carved marble and hardstone for the desk and mantel.