Schoorsteenmantel in de wethouderzaal van de Vrije van Brugge, België before 1887

This is a photograph of a chimney piece, or ‘Schoorsteenmantel’, in the alderman’s chamber of the Brugse Vrije, in Belgium. It was carved around 1535. Look closely and you will see that it’s an amazing display of sculptural virtuosity. The stone is worked so deeply, and with such delicacy, that it almost looks like wood. If you could touch this mantle piece, you’d immediately sense the weight and coolness of the stone, which lends the room an air of permanence and grandeur. We can only imagine the number of hours that went into the production of this chimney piece, and the skill required. A work like this one would have been made by highly trained artisans, working together in a workshop. It reminds us that the built environment around us is the result of collective labour, and that even something like a fireplace mantle can be a testament to human creativity.