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544
Description: Arched rectangular central panel with bead on fillet edging, pictorial representation of a man and woman walking, behind the woman a child holds her train and a young person carries a parasol; from behind a column on the right, a horse's head is visible, a tree stands to the left; arched rectabular border with cavetto-moulded edging; top centre, scallop shell from which descend undulating leaf fronds; on top, a pomegranate to which ascends a serpent on each side, with a further pomegranate on each shoulder of the plate.
Notes: The pictorial scene is based on an engraving c.1642 of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg, and his wife, Luise Henriette of Oranje-Nassau, by Mathias Czwiczek; one of series of firebacks depicting allegories of the four continents.
Copies of this fireback are known.
Inscription: EVROPA
- Decoration tags:
- 'Dutch' (shape)
- cavetto (edging)
- whole carved pattern
- pictorial
- humans
Manufactured: in the mid- to late-17th century in the Siegerland area of Germany.
Current location: Petworth House, Petworth, West Sussex, England.
Museum number: NT/PET/M/99 (part of the National Trust museum group)
- Attached to series:
- 'Dutch' Miscellaneous Firebacks
- 'Dutch' Continents firebacks
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948
Description: Arched rectangular shaped central panel with bead edging; seated, semi-naked female figure, with laurels leaves about her head, holding a bunch of grapes in her raised right hand; she is sitting on a stool; to her right is what appears to be a pile of stones; to her left a vase of tulips with a tree behind; above centre, is the word TERRA (earth - Latin); above is a swag of drapery enclosing a scallop shell; outside the panel is a narrow border of the same shape with fillet edging; the fireback is surmounted by a scallop shell between two outward-facing sea serpents.
Notes: One of a series of four designs of the classical elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water.
Copies of this fireback are known.
Inscription: TERRA
- Decoration tags:
- 'Dutch' (shape)
- whole carved pattern
- pictorial
- allegorical
- text
- humans
- plants
Manufactured: in the mid- to late-17th century possibly in the Siegerland area of Germany.
Current location: not known.
- Attached to series:
- 'Dutch' Miscellaneous Firebacks
- Elements firebacks