Firebacks

Description: Rectangular; twisted rope edging (top and sides); twisted rope length stamped eight times in a mirrored double rhombus pattern with a central cross; a crude human figurine stamped irregularly four times, two on each side of the rope design.

Notes: An uncharacteristically small fireback for its likely period.

Description: Rectangular; twisted rope edging (top and sides); length of twisted rope parallel with, and equal to, top edge; length of rope, equal to side edge, repeated twice slanting from near top middle to bottom corners.

Notes: Very simple design using only two lengths of rope.

Description: Rectangular, with canted top corners; twisted rope edging (top and sides only); eight shields of Ayloffe impaling Sulyard in three rows, 3-2-3; Ayloffe: sable, a lion rampant Or, collared gules, between three crosses formy of the second; Sulyard: argent, a chevron gules between three pheons inverted sable.

Notes: William Ayloffe (c1535-1584) of Hornchurch, Essex, Justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench, married (c1560) Jane, dau. of Sir Eustace Sulyard, of Runwell, Essex. Christie's Masters and Makers Sale, South Kensington, 30 Nov 2010, lot 518 (£1,000).

Copies of this fireback are known.

Arms: Ayloffe impaling Sulyard (William Ayloffe of Bretons, Hornchurch)

Description: Fragment (left quarter missing - symmetrical design assumed); rectangular; twisted rope edging (top and sides); top centre, crowned Tudor shield between two lions passant, the left lion guardant sinister; below each lion, two leftward heading ‘imp’ stamps, the left one of each with arms down and head facing right, the right with right arm raised; in the top corner(s), a crowned rose stamp with a ‘daisy’ stamp towards the middle.

Notes: Assuming the crowned shield is central, the fireback would have originally measured 1160mm wide; one of the ‘Royal’ series.

Arms: Tudor royal arms of England

Description: Arch shaped; rope edging (top and sides); top centre, crowned cartouche with initials F S linked with twisted cord; below, two cartouches, each bearing a 7-pointed star, and each separating the paired initials HG.

Notes: The national origin of this fireback is a little uncertain. A variant of this fireback (no. 767) has slightly different proportions and relative positions of the stamps.

Inscription: F S / H G H G

Description: Rectangular with two-stepped top; twisted rope edging (top and sides); twisted rope extensions enclosing intermediate step with rope continued parallel to sides; central rope octagram with reversed date above between repeated inverted shield shapes off-set (left higher than right); the shield blazon: barry wavy impaling quarterly, overlaid with a small bird stamp and an indistinct ?bird shape in the top left quarter as viewed; within the rope, a roughly parallel arrangement of 23 double-loop-patterned stamps, with the faint impression of an additional stamp in the top right corner of the arrangement; outside the loop stamps and partially overlying the vertical rope extensions, the impressions of two classically designed firedogs with Ionic capitals and fluted pilasters, bearing the date 1594, but with the '1' missing; the fluting on the pilasters has been overlaid by the repeated impression of a turned peg.

Notes: A large and remarkably elaborate fireback: the octagram, a device seen as uncommonly on continental firebacks as on English ones, suggests an apotropaic purpose; the impression of the firedogs was clearly made after the laying of the rope lengths and impressed less deeply as the rope impression has not been obliterated by the firedog on the left side. A fireback with the same loop stamps bears the same date using the same numerals but impressed the correct way round. Currently obscured behind a wood stove.

Inscription: 4951 [5 reversed] / 594 594

Description: Rectangular, with canted top corners; twisted rope edging (top and sides only); nine shields of Ayloffe impaling Sulyard in two rows, 5-4; two parallel vertical cuts for the insertion of firedogs.

Notes: Ayloffe: sable, a lion rampant Or, collared gules, between three crosses formy of the second; Sulyard: argent, a chevron gules between three pheons inverted sable. William Ayloffe (c1535-1584) of Hornchurch, Essex, Justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench, married (c1560) Jane, dau. of Sir Eustace Sulyard, of Runwell, Essex. There is a large number of variants using the same shields.

Arms: Ayloffe impaling Sulyard (William Ayloffe of Bretons, Hornchurch)

Description: Rectangular; twisted rope edging (probably on on top and sides only); cavetto-moulded-edged rectangle top centre, enclosing date between initials; 14 shields of Ayloffe impaling Sulyard in three rows (5-4-5).

Notes: Ayloffe: sable, a lion rampant Or, collared gules, between three crosses formy of the second; Sulyard: argent, a chevron gules between three pheons inverted sable. William Ayloffe (c1535-1584) of Hornchurch, Essex, Justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench, married (c1560) Jane, dau. of Sir Eustace Sulyard, of Runwell, Essex. There is a large number of variants using the same shields. The bottom part of the fireback is obscured in the photograph. The initials 'CT' are likely to be those of Charles Tyler, a founder whose working life and that of his family have strong parallels with the occurrence of these firebacks.

Inscription: C.1.6.0.3.T

Arms: Ayloffe impaling Sulyard (William Ayloffe of Bretons, Hornchurch)

Description: Canted rectangle; twisted rope edging (top and sides); Tudor royal shield within a Garter, supported by lion and dragon stamps, a crown above, between separate ‘E’ and ‘R’ stamps; fleur de lys stamp irregularly repeated four times below right and to left of lion.

Notes: The shield, garter and crown stamps appear on many firebacks, usually with left-facing lion and greyhound supporters; the presence of the shield and crown indicate the fireback is derived from the same source; the supporter stamps, which are over-pressed, are clearly derived from blocks intended to represent standing models. Formerly at Kirby Frith Hall, Leicestershire. Illustration from Schubert, 1957, pl. 7.

Inscription: HONE SOYT qVEY MAL Y PENSE

Arms: Tudor royal - Edward VI or Elizabeth I

Description: Rectangular; twisted rope edging (top and sides); top left and right, Tudor rose surmounted by a crown (separate stamps); right of centre, irregular pentagram formed of a repeated length of twisted rope enclosing a Tudor rose; on either side of top point of pentagram, a triple-loop stamp irregularly spaced.

Notes: The pentagram has both Christian and occult symbolism. The fleur and the rose and crown have been seen on another fireback.

Copies of this fireback are known.