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842
Description: Arched shape; cavetto-moulded edging invected on the inner edge; Tudor rose surmounted by a royal crown; monogram in bottom right corner.
Notes: The monogram, RN, is associated with the invected cavetto moulding; a recasting, replicating an earlier crack.
Inscription: RN
- Decoration tags:
- rounded arched (shape)
- scalloped cavetto (edging)
- whole carved pattern
- heraldic
- monogram
- royal
- text
Manufactured: in the early- to mid-17th century in England.
Current location: English Heritage Store, Atcham Business Park, Atcham, Shropshire, England.
Museum number: EH ASC 4490 (part of the English Heritage museum group)
- Attached to series:
- RN series
- Miscellaneous royal firebacks
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1229
Description: Rectangular with canted top corners; twisted rope edging (top and sides); top centre, date formed from a single stamp, over-pressed; monogram below date.
Notes: Dates formed from a single stamp are uncommon, this series being distinguished by this practice. Formerly at a house in Rochester. Bentley Auctioneers, Cranbrook, lot 889, 4 Jun 2022 (£130).
Inscription: 1630 / HPE
- Decoration tags:
- rectangular with canted top corners (shape)
- rope (edging)
- carved stamps
- date stamp
- monogram
- text
Manufactured: in 1630 in the Weald area of England.
Current location: not known.
- Attached to series:
- 1630s HPE series
- Date & initials firebacks
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1242
Description: Canted rectangular shape; twisted rope edging (top and sides); top centre, date, 1638, with uneven figures (oversize 3), between two fleurs-de-lys; four fleurs-de-lys, lying horizontally, down each side; below date, slender 'T' shape above a slender 'M' shape, with initials 'W' and 'B' separated by the 'T' shape.
Notes: The distinctive fleur-de-lys has not been noted on any other fireback. Purchased by Birmingham Museums in 1982 at the sale of the contents of the house ‘Hildercroft’ on Highfield Road in Hall Green, Birmingham.
Inscription: 1638 / W T B / M
- Decoration tags:
- rectangular with canted top corners (shape)
- rope (edging)
- simple stamps
- carved stamps
- heraldic
- text
- objects
Manufactured: in 1638 in England.
Current location: Blakesley Hall, Blakesley Road, Yardley, West Midlands, England.
(part of the Birmingham Museums Trust museum group)
- Attached to series:
- Date & initials firebacks
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918
Description: Rectangular with complex quasi-arched rectangular top; ovolo moulded edging; shield with Royal arms of France in a swirled cartouche, initials IT top centre; above, an English crown; below to right and left, a prancing stag.
Notes: The combination of the English crown and French arms is common and may relate to the marriage of Charles I and Princess Henrietta Maria of France in 1625; although the framing of the pattern is very similar to others of the same basic design, the style suggests a different pattern maker. A variant of an otherwise identical fireback, with the addition of the date and initials. Bonhams sale, Chester, 25 July 2013, lot 257.
Copies of this fireback are known.
Inscription: IT / 16 [?]1
Arms: France modern
Manufactured: in the early- to mid-17th century possibly in the Weald area of England.
Current location:, not known.
- Attached to series:
- Ornate border series
- Miscellaneous royal firebacks
- Anglo-French armorial firebacks
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850
Description: Canted rectangle; elaborate cavetto moulded edging (top and sides); strapwork shield with a demi-flower at each side, between initials (S only visible); arms quarterly of six, 1st Or two chevronels Gules, on a canton of the last a mullet of the first (Pope); 2nd Argent three bars Gules, on a canton ermine a bend of lozenges of the second (Walshe); 3rd Sable three laurel leaves in bend Or between two bendlets Argent (Waller); 4th Azure a chevron between three crosses Moline Argent (Lansdale); 5th Ermine on a bend Gules three lions’ heads erased Or (Weston); 6th Azure a lion rampant Or supporting a cross patée fitchée of the second (Pichingham).
Notes: The excrescence over the third quartering is the result of the iron being poured directly onto the mould. The second initial is known from another casting. The date above the shield has been inserted before casting and differs slightly from another example of the same back.
Copies of this fireback are known.
Inscription: 1625 / S [P]
Arms: Pope (Sackevile Pope (b. 1589) of Hendall, in Buxted, Sussex)
- Decoration tags:
- rectangular with canted top corners (shape)
- complex individual (edging)
- whole carved pattern
- date stamp
- armorial
- text
Manufactured: in 1625 in the Weald area of England.
Current location:, not known.
- Attached to series:
- Personal armorial firebacks
- Low relief armorial series
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1027
Description: Canted rectangle; inset twisted rope edging (top and sides); stamp formed of a statuette of an standing angel with left hand at the waist, and holding a sceptre in the right hand; date split either side of angel; initials 'RD' split above date; initials 'IDA' in triad above angel; small face stamp in each top corner.
Notes: The identity of those to whom the initials refer is not known; the use of the angel statuette is a rare inclusion of a religious motif on an English fireback. A variant of this fireback is at Flaxley Abbey, Gloucestershire (no. 293).
Inscription: IDA [triad] / R D / 16 32
- Decoration tags:
- rectangular with canted top corners (shape)
- rope (edging)
- carved stamps
- individual letters
- individual numbers
- text
- humans
Manufactured: in 1632 in the Forest of Dean area of England.
Current location: The Lygon Arms, High Street, Broadway, Worcestershire, England.
- Attached to series:
- Figurine firebacks
- Angel series
- Date & initials firebacks
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1028
Description: Arched rectangular shape; twisted rope edging (top and sides); date in arch; initial triads in top shoulders of plate; small mask patera repeated once above date and on each side of 'H' initials.
Notes: The small mask patera has not been seen on other firebacks.
Inscription: 1631 / WHK [triad] WHK [triad]
- Decoration tags:
- rectangular with round arch (shape)
- rope (edging)
- carved stamps
- individual letters
- individual numbers
- text
- objects
Manufactured: in 1631 in England.
Current location: The Lygon Arms, High Street, Broadway, Worcestershire, England.
- Attached to series:
- Date & initials firebacks
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1121
Description: Rectangular shape; cavetto-moulded edging; central abstract arrangement in low relief of a horizontally positioned oval surrounded by four separated spandrels forming a rectangular shape over all; at each side, on a raised rectangular field, a stylised bud or cone of helical form, within a calyx above a semi-circular base, one mirroring the other. A deep plankline is evident half way up the left plant.
Notes: An excrescence on the right side may have been caused by iron being poured from a ladle disturbing the casting sand. There are no parallels for this fireback design. The central abstract arrangement may be associated with a formal plan of a garden parterre, the stylised plants continuing that theme.
- Decoration tags:
- rectangular (shape)
- cavetto (edging)
- whole carved pattern
- planklines
- architectural
- plants
- objects
Manufactured: in the early- to mid-17th century in the Weald area of England.
Current location: in private hands, Buxted, East Sussex, England.
- Attached to series:
- Miscellaneous pattern firebacks
- Garden design types
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916
Description: Rectangular, with a detached pediment joined by rebated scrolls; cavetto-moulded edging; circular 'shield' in a cartouche, surmounted by an esquire's helm and lion rampant crest, with mantling behind; initials split by crest; date split in top corners.
Notes: The armorial is of David Prichard (d. 1630) of Llancaiac Fawr Manor; the blazon follows the patriarchal tradition of Welsh heraldry: quarterly, 1st, Sable a lion rampant Argent (for Cydrych ap Gwaithfoed), 2nd, Sable a chevron between three fleurs de lys Argent (for Einion ap Gollwyn), 3rd, Gules three chevrons Argent (for Iestyn ap Gwrgan), and 4th, Sable a chevron between three spear-heads Argent (for Bleddyn ap Maenyrch); the '8' of the date has a flattened top. A copy, from a broken original.
Inscription: D P / 16 28
Arms: Prichard (or ap Richard)
- Decoration tags:
- rectangular with detached pediment (shape)
- cavetto (edging)
- whole carved pattern
- armorial
- text
Manufactured: in 1628 possibly at Dyffryn Furnace in the South Wales area of Wales.
Current location: Llancaiach Fawr Manor, Nelson, Caerphilly, Glamorgan, Wales.
Museum number: GTJ75111 (part of the Caerphilly County Borough Council Museums & Heritage Service museum group)
- Attached to series:
- Personal armorial firebacks
- Welsh armorial firebacks
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917
Description: Rectangular with detached pediment joined by S-curves; cavetto-moulded edging; shield, helm, bird crest and mantling, with date, 1635, split either side of crest; bottom of casting missing due to corrosion.
Notes: Tentatively identified as the arms of Brooke or Broke of Lapley, Staffordshire (blazon: chequy argent and sable, impaling a chevron between three estoiles); this fireback, or its pattern, have been used as a stamp on another fireback with a later date and initials added separately (see no. 831).
Inscription: 16 35
Arms: poss. Brooke of Staffordshire
- Decoration tags:
- rectangular with detached pediment (shape)
- cavetto (edging)
- whole carved pattern
- armorial
- text
Manufactured: in 1635 in England.
Current location: The Museum of Cambridge, 2/3 Castle Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England.
(part of the The Museum of Cambridge museum group)
- Attached to series:
- Personal armorial firebacks