Trompe-l’œil

Marbles

Through her teaching at Van Der Kelen, Blanca has acquired a certain biological and geological knowledge of the materials she imitates, as well as historical knowledge of their decorative uses in time and space. She benefits from an understanding of the natural behaviors of the woods, marbles, precious stones and noble materials she reproduces.

Marble inlay (Pietra dura) and Renaissance decorations

This marquetry, typical of the Renaissance and widely revisited through the ages, was spotted by Blanca in the Château de Groussay sales catalog. It was featured on a pedestal table top. The idea then occurred to her to create her own version, to be displayed on the floor as a tribute to the Italian marquetry she had admired since childhood. 60 scales were designed, 60 marbles were chosen, arranged and painted by the artist around a Medusa resting on malachite and a Greek frieze that calms and orders the whole. Originally, the medallions featured Perseus’ weapons, but in this version Blanca has inserted her favorite mythological creatures as signatures. Deep-blue lapis lazuli provides a precious contrast, before being encircled by a final green marble to seal the whole.

Mixed Campan

Campan is a marble from the Pyrenees region. It comes in green, banded, pink and red, but the most beautiful species is mixed campan, also known as campan grand mélange. Quarried from ancient times to the end of the 20th century, this marble was used extensively to decorate the Château de Versailles. In fireplaces, in columns (pink Campan for the Grand Trianon), but also in walled pannels as decorations due to the high pictorial quality of its motifs. The Queen's staircase, for example, is mainly decorated with green and mixed campan veneers.

other marbles

  • Faux marbre

    Bleu fleuri

  • Faux Marbre

    Sienna yellow and levanto moldings

  • Faux Marbre

    Yellow onyx from Algeria

  • Faux marbre

    Yellow onyx from Algeria

  • Faux marbre peinture

    Portor

  • Faux marbre peinture

    Pavonazzo and comblanchien

  • Faux marbre peinture

    Jaune fleuri and saint anne moldings

  • Faux marbre

    Carrara white and Belgian blue

Grand antique

Prestigious marble with an admirable style, formed during the Alptian and Albian Lower Cretaceous epoch (100 to 120 Ma), used decoratively since its discovery in the III or IVth century to this day. Its firm grains, its black background veined in white and grand designs give it majestic Breche appearance.
In Rome, Saint Cecil’s ciborium in Trastevere, and Saint Mary Major’s candelabra are beautiful wonderful examples, while in Byzantium it decorates the walls of Hagia Sophia in exceptional veneers. After the closure of the quarries, the blocks already extracted were used for the Saint Peter of Rome Basilica, Saint Marc’s Basilica in Venice and Westminster in London. Then used intermittently, the emblematic Art-Deco decorator Emile Jacques Ruhlmann makes it one of his signatures. Closed again in 1948, the quarries are bought and reopened in 2012. They are located near Aubert-Moulis in the French Pyrenees.