Mantel

The outer wall and casing of a fireplace or furnace. Sometimes simply called a mantel. Also called a chimneypiece or a fireplace surround. Easily confused with mantle.Examples:Augustus Saint-Gaudens (American, 1848-1907) and John La Farge (American, 1835-1910), Mantelpiece, 1882, Metropolitan Museum of Art.John S. Bradstreet (American), Grueby Faience Company, Fireplace Surround, 1902, 64 7/8 x 84 3/8 inches, Minneapolis Institute of arts, MN. See faience and Prairie style. "Balthus" Balthasar Klossowski (French, 1908-2001), Figure in Front of a Mantel, 1955, oil on canvas, 75 x 64 1/2 inches (190.5 x 163.9 cm), Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY. See French art.Also see architecture, decorative arts, and furniture.