Benjamin Thaw's Florentine Fireplace

Pittsburgh millionaire Benjamin Thaw, son of railroad tycoon Wiliam Thaw, wanted a special fireplace for his new mansion. So in 1899 he sent agents to Florence to buy the monumental fireplace from the Palazzo Gondi in Florence, designed by Giulano da Sangallo, who did a lot of work for Lorenzo the Magnificent. But the Gondis refused to sell. They did, however, let Thaw's artisans make careful drawings and plans of the original, so he could have a duplicate made. However, his stone carver had his own ideas, so the end product was less a copy than something "in the style of" Sangallo. This hearth is now up for sale at Bonham's with an expected price of around $30,000.