Firebacks

Description: Rectangular shape; twisted rope edging (top and sides); upper centre, two evenly-spaced, medium-sized twisted rope crosses.

Notes: Formerly (1950) at Maidstone, Kent. Illustration from Schubert, 1950.

Description: Arched rectangular shaped; fillet edging with embattled relief inside; shield, helm, crest and mantling of the Blacksmiths' Company. RN monogram in top right corner.

Notes: Arms of the Blacksmiths' company: Sable, a chevron Or between three hammers Argent and crowned with open crowns of the second; crest: a phoenix in flames rising proper. The arms were granted in 1611. Several different versions of these arms are to be found on firebacks. The attribution of this fireback to the series usually identified by the monogram RN is tentative, it being a copy and a substantial amount of surface detail imperfectly rendered.

Copies of this fireback are known.

Arms: Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths

Description: Arched rectangular shape; twisted rope edging (top, and sides short of bottom), with shoulder edging extending into base of arch; upper centre, date '1602' slanting down to right; below date, initials 'IPD' in triad.

Notes: The initials are likely to be those of a couple whose surname begins with 'P'.

Inscription: 1602 / I P D [triad]

Description: Arched rectangular shaped central panel with hollow bead edging; a putto, its head inclined to its left, standing on a platform, holding a wand in its right hand and a branch in its left hand, a flower in a pot is on each side, and above, swagged drapery; arched rectangular shaped border with fillet edging; swirled flowers and tendrils symmetrically arranged, with SHR monogram at centre bottom; two mirrored stylised sea serpents on top; to each side a vertical extension with bead edging, of the same decoration as the side borders.

Notes: The figure depicted is probably emblematic although the meaning has yet to be determined. The frame of the central panel and the enclosing border are identical to those noted on another fireback displaying a figure of Pluto (see fireback no. 164). This may be an example of an image from one casting being superimposed within the frame of an earlier fireback. The border is identical to that seen on fireback no. 1220.

Inscription: SHR

Description: Low-arched shape within broad fillet edging; on a plain field a Tudor royal shield, quarterly France Modern and England, supported by a stylised dragon and greyhound and surmounted by a crown, all resting on a two-stepped compartment with cavetto- and astragal-moulded edging at the top.

Notes: Pastiche 'Tudor' design by George Shaw of Saddleworth, Lancashire, c.1850, possibly intended to be passed off as genuine Tudor. Another casting in this form is to be found in The Guildhall, Lichfield. More decorated examples exist, with a leaf pattern on the edging and 'scales' on the dragon. Firebacks of the same armorial design within a different, arched rectangular, edging are known.

Copies of this fireback are known.

Arms: Tudor royal

Description: Rectangular; twisted rope edging (top and sides); top row, two square-within-a-square arrangements of twisted rope between three stamps formed of Gothic tracery cresting; 2nd row, two more tracery cresting stamps between two crowned, star-embossed butter mould stamps with a crowned rose-en-soleil stamp in the middle; 3rd row, three star-embossed butter mould stamps with two pairs of fleurs-de-lys between them; bottom row, seven fleurs-de-lys; plus intersepersed fragments of cresting and short rope lengths, a vertical arrangement of cresting fragments down the right side and a vertical, zig-zag arrangement of rope lengths on the left side.

Notes: The rose-en-soleil was the badge of King Edward IV and, thus, a Yorkist symbol. Many of the stamps employed on this fireback are seen, with other stamps, on a wide variety of firebacks, suggesting a common source; similar gothic tracery cresting can be seen as pierced cresting on a rare late-Medieval, wooden Easter sepulchre at the redundant church of St Michael at Cowthorpe, North Yorkshire. A similar fireback is at Anne of Cleves House, Lewes (no. 371). Christie's auction, 24 May 2001.

Copies of this fireback are known.

Description: Canted rectangle; cavetto moulded edging (top and sides); single horizontal fillet below canted corners and vertical fillet parallel to each side, dividing the fireback into two side panels, two top corner panels, top panel and main central panel; corner panels, lion passant stamp, left facing in right corner, right facing in left corner; top panel, date between fleurs-de-lys; side panels, suspended vine stamp repeated each side; centre panel, flower stamp in each top corner.

Notes: The lion stamps and design elements (canted shape, vertical and horizontal divisions) are identical to those on similar firebacks dated to the first decade of the 18th century, and indicate a common source.

Inscription: 1699

Description: Rectangular with pediment arch; wide fillet edging rebated in side edge; upper centre, initials formed of individual letters; an unidentified series of shapes in relief in the top right corner may be thumb prints.

Notes: The edging and letter ‘W’ are very similar to those on the ‘1589’ series of firebacks and may have the same origin. Formerly at Bay Hall, Benington, Lincolnshire.

Inscription: WE

Description: Arched rectangular central panel with bead-on-fillet edging; femal figure holding scales in her right hand and a sword in her left hand, foliage and clouds behind; arched rectangular border with fillet edging; from a central bow with three tassels at the top, two suspended festoons of flowers, each running through a ring under the top corners, and continuing along the bottom; on top, a central cartouche between mirrored foliate scrolls.

Notes: The female is an allegorical representation of Justice.

Copies of this fireback are known.

Description: Arched rectangular shape; ovolo-moulded edging; a shield with the arms of the Grocers' Company on a cartouche, surrounded by four sprays of olive leaves.

Notes: The blazon of the arms is: Argent, a chev­ron gules between nine cloves six in chief and three in base proper. The arms were granted in 1532. The style of the fireback owes something to the design of French firebacks of the mid-17th century.

Copies of this fireback are known.

Arms: Worshipful Company of Grocers