Firebacks

Description: Quasi-arched shape with forward-facing 'wings', which splay outwards towards the base; the 'wings' curve to follow the shape of the main panel but curl outwards at the top; central panel with pictorial image of, to the right, a shepherd holding a musical pipe, his right foot upon a log, upon which a dog, to the left, sits holding the shepherd's crook; top centre, a crown, on either side of which, on the curled upper parts of the 'wings', is an inward facing sheep.

Notes: Nothing is known about the sources of free-standing firebacks or what prompted their production. Their form is similar but the predominant use of horticultural or arboreal decorative themes, which suggests production within a limited time frame, has in this instance been replaced with a humorous scene. Only a very small number of such castings are known. Depth 210mm