Firebacks

Manufactured in the mid-16th century

43 results

  1. 748

    va_24.jpg
    >585 x 610 mm

    Description: Fragment; right part only; canted rectangle; twisted rope edging; lion passant positioned vertically along right side; rose and crown stamp repeated twice (both over-pressed), each above an ‘imp’ figure with both arms lowered.

    Notes: A particularly clear casting; the right rear leg of the lion (missing on some variants of this series) has been replaced by a short length of twisted rope.

    Manufactured: in the mid-16th century in the Weald area of England.

    Current location: Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, Kensington & Chelsea, Greater London, England.

    Museum number: 897.1901 (part of the Victoria & Albert Museum museum group)

    Citation: Faraday, L., Feb 1939, 'Sussex Firebacks in the Victoria and Albert Museum', Sussex County Magazine, 13, 2, pp. 100-103.

    Citation: Garner, T. and Stratton, A., 1911, The Domestic Architecture of England during the Tudor Period, Part III (London, Batsford), pp. 240-2 and pl. CLXXIX.

    Citation: Hodgkinson, J. S., 2022, 'A Tudor Fireback Stamp: the progressive deterioration of its condition as evidence of the relative age of castings', Journal of the Antique Metalware Society, 27, pp. 42-5.

  2. 1042

    west_hoathly, manor house 02.jpg
    995 x 585 mm

    Description: Rectangular; twisted rope edging (top and sides); top centre, twisted rope saltire between two food moulds used as stamps, comprising two concentric discs with a hatched design and enclosing four hearts arranged in a cross; below the saltire another food mould stamp; in the top corners, a twisted rope saltire with a double V design below each, the open ends facing inwards; below each of the upper pair of food mould stamps, an inverted twisted rope V.

    Notes: The food mould stamps can be seen on another fireback dated to 1562; the rope Vs and saltires have an apotropaic, or evil averting, purpose.

    Manufactured: in the mid-16th century in the Weald area of England.

    Current location: Manor House, North Lane, West Hoathly, West Sussex, England.

    Citation: Hughes, G. B., May 1940, 'Old English Firebacks', Apollo, 31, 185, pp. 117-120.

  3. 595

    wigmore,_chapel_farm_03a.jpg
    1640 x 770 mm

    Description: Rectangular; twisted rope edging (top and sides); top centre; crowned Tudor royal shield with angled lion passant guardant sinister to the left, and an angled lion passant to the right; below, a crowned shield with a fleur-de-lys below initials (over-pressed), between two four-petalled, crowned roses; the same crowned rose repeated in each top corner, below each a vertical dagger, point upwards; inside the roses and daggers, two tiered pairs of ‘imp’ figures, one of each with arm raised, above a single figure, its arms lowered.

    Notes: Each dagger, which is seen on two other firebacks (no. 660 and no. 1100), is approx. 35cm long.

    Copies of this fireback are known.

    Inscription: KH

    Arms: Tudor royal arms of England

    Manufactured: in the mid-16th century in the Weald area of England.

    Current location: in private hands, Wigmore, Herefordshire, England.

    Citation: Lower, M. A., 1849, 'Iron Works of the County of Sussex', Sussex Archaeological Collections, 2, pp. 169-220 (esp. pp. 188-9).