Style Other / Ref.16106

Important Antique Cast Iron Fireback, Probably Bearing the Arms of the Dolon Family, Later d’Ollone

Important antique cast iron fireback of semi-circular form, organized around a large heraldic composition occupying almost its entire surface.
At the center is a shield bearing a rampant lion surmounted by three stars arranged in a horizontal row in chief. The shield is supported on either side by two rampant lions, incorporated into an extensive decoration of mantling and scrollwork.
The upper section is dominated by an imposing helmet shown frontally, surmounted by a crest. Large mantling scrolls extend symmetrically around the helmet and shield, following the curved outline of the fireback. Their elaborate design, together with the prominence given to the helmet and crest, remains strongly rooted in the heraldic and ornamental vocabulary of the Renaissance.
The lower section also features two eagle heads shown in profile, symmetrically arranged and facing outwards. Their curved beaks remain clearly visible in the relief. They are incorporated into the scrolling foliage and ornamental motifs framing the lower part of the shield.
The semi-circular form, symmetrical composition, and treatment of the helmet, mantling and animal figures suggest a date between the late 16th and the 17th century.
The coat of arms can be compared with that of the Dolon family, later known as d’Ollone, whose lineage is documented from the 16th century onwards. The family notably bore arms described as Azure, a lion Or, surmounted by three mullets Or arranged in chief, a heraldic composition particularly close to that represented at the center of this fireback.
The Dolon family is documented throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, with several members of the lineage belonging to the nobility. The correspondence between the arrangement of the lion, the three stars in chief and the stylistic period of the fireback supports a probable attribution to the Dolon family, later d’Ollone.