Pair of 18th-Century Brèche Violette Marble Blocks – Opéra Garnier

This exceptional pair of antique 18th-century Brèche Violette marble blocks is offered together as one unworked lot. The blocks were extracted from the quarry in their original massive form and later brought to Rocamat in Corgoloin, France, for processing.

According to the historical company provenance, these blocks were acquired by Maison Léon Van den Bogaert in the early 1990s, when stock from Rocamat in Corgoloin was taken over as part of a reorganisation and further automation. That stock included old marble blocks, slabs, flooring lots and finished natural stone products in French materials such as Comblanchien, Corton, Massangis, Buxy, Campan, Brèche and Rouge du Languedoc, Rose Liseron.

The rough quarry faces are particularly important: they still reveal the natural, untreated, hand-hewn surfaces of the blocks and provide a tangible record of their original extraction. Other exposed faces reveal the spectacular structure of Brèche Violette, with large ivory-white and cream fragments intersected by grey, soft pink, wine-red, aubergine and violet veining and brecciated formations.

This pronounced pattern gives the material an almost painterly sense of movement. Brèche Violette belongs to the group of marbles that have been prized for centuries in prestigious architecture and luxurious interiors, from palatial settings to monumental French buildings and opera interiors. The reference to the Opéra Garnier reinforces the historical association of this highly expressive French marble with richly decorated 19th-century architecture.

What makes these two blocks especially compelling is that their future application remains completely open. They can be used as separate objects with a narrative. They can be professionally sawn into marble slabs, processed as book-matched panels, used for flooring, wall cladding, basins, washstands, columns, pedestals, tabletops or other bespoke architectural elements. Because of the strong movement in the veining, cutting the blocks may reveal unexpected and unique compositions that are still hidden within the solid stone.

The two blocks are sold exclusively together as one lot and remain unworked. Together they represent approximately 695 kg of original 18th-century Brèche Violette marble with exceptional decorative and historical presence.

A rare opportunity for architects, interior designers, stonemasons and collectors who are not merely looking for a finished marble surface, but want to shape the original material itself.

Dimensions:

- Block 1

Crating Dimensions:
100 cm x 30 cm x 45 cm — 39.37 Inch x 11.81 Inch x 17.72 Inch

Net Dimensions:
72 cm x 30 cm x 30 cm — 28.35 Inch x 11.81 Inch x 11.81 Inch

345 kg

- Block 2

Crating Dimensions:
100 cm x 37 cm x 30 cm — 39.37 Inch x 14.57 Inch x 11.81 Inch

Net Dimensions:
30 cm x 100 cm x 25 cm — 11.81 Inch x 39.37 Inch x 9.84 Inch

350 kg

Total Lot Weight: 695 kg

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