egg and dart motive without the astragal which outlines the black marble
fireplace facings being the only enriched molding. As was customary, the
shelf takes the form of a cymatium, and the projections above the
consoles and central panel are characteristic details.

Much like this, though simpler in the absence of any enriched moldings
and having less projection, is the chimney piece on the second floor of
an old Spruce Street house shown by an accompanying illustration. It
has substantially the same overmantel frame and mantel treatment.
Incidentally it furnishes an excellent example of the complete paneling
of one end of a room with the familiar six-panel ordinary inside doors
each side of the fireplace. The architrave casings of the doors with
their horizontal projections over the lintel are in pleasing accord with
the corresponding projections of the overmantel frame and of the facing
of the fireplace opening.

Toward the end of the eighteenth century and for some years thereafter,
mantels with a shelf, but without any overmantel treatment of the
chimney breast, became the rule. The whole construction was usually
projected from twelve to eighteen inches into the room, however, and as
the surbase and skirting or a paneled wainscot and the cornice above was
carried around it, the effect was much like that of a chimney piece,
especially when a large, ornamental framed mantel mirror occupied the
space over the chimney breast.

The mantel itself took the form of a complete entablature above the
fireplace opening, supported by pilasters at each side, the pilasters
usually being carried up through the entablature by projections in
architrave, frieze and cornice respectively, and the cymatium of the
cornice forming the mantel shelf. The classic orders supplied much of
the ornamental detail with which these mantels were embellished, and
the work gave full scope to the genius of English and American
wood-carvers, of whom there were many of marked ability in America.

The thriving condition of the ship-building industry in the colonies was
instrumental in attracting and developing skilled wood-carvers. Many of
them became apt students of architecture and proficient in executing
hand-tooled enriched moldings and other ornament for mantels and chimney
pieces. Not content with the conventional detail of the classic orders,
they varied it considerably to suit their purposes, using familiar
motives in new ways, securing classic