Agate Obelisks

A fine & large antique black marble & specimen stone desk obelisk & thermometer, Ashford Derbyshire, circa 1860. This large 15.5" tall obelisk is made of Derbyshire black marble. The...

These impressive Egyptian Revival obelisks are crafted of dynamically patterned agate. The rare 19th-century models were almost certainly made in Italy during the height of the Grand Tour when the fervor for all things ancient pervaded the decorative arts. Rich in neoclassical elegance yet possessing an exotic worldliness, pieces such as these were extremely popular as Grand Tour souvenirs among members of the British aristocracy...

A fine & large antique black marble & specimen stone desk obelisk & thermometer, Ashford Derbyshire, circa 1860. This large 14.75" obelisk is made of Derbyshire black marble. The obelisk is very elegantly inlaid with a variety of semi-precious polished hard-stone, including Derbyshire Blue John, lapis lazuli, malachite, Carrara marble, polished agate etc. The top of the obelisk is inlaid with colored stone in a floral design, below is a mercury thermometer with the name "J, Turner Buxton", the thermometer is fully functioning, the base is also inlaid with colored stone in a floral design, the obelisk is raised on a stepped base. Condition is very good, no damage or restoration, this very elegant obelisk is ready to grace your home or office. 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 the Elizabethan Countess, Bess of Hardwick...