Firebacks

Joshua and Caleb firebacks

  1. 539

    pet-m-94.jpg
    362 x 570 mm

    Description: Arched rectangular central panel with bead-on-fillet edging; pictorial scene of two men in mid-17t century dress carrying a large bunch of grapes on a pole between them, above them drapery; arched rectangular border with fillet edging; cascade of flowers around arch and down sides; on top, central crown with descending serpents, an urn on each shoulder of the plate.

    Notes: The scene depicts Joshua and Caleb returning from Canaan with a bunch of grapes (Numbers 13: 23-4).

    Manufactured: in the late 17th century possibly in the Siegerland area of Germany.

    Current location: Petworth House, Petworth, West Sussex, England.

    Museum number: NT/PET/M/94 (part of the National Trust museum group)

  2. 706

    tiverton_castle 06.jpg
    590 x 838 mm

    Description: Arched rectangular central panel, with bead edging; pictorial, two men in 17th century dress, on a ground, carrying a huge bunch of grapes slung from a pole between them, behind are vine leaves; the initials located below the top corners; arched rectangular border, fillet edging, containing vine leaves and grapes; above, symmetrical swirling foliage.

    Notes: The scene, drawn from the Old Testament, represents Joshua and Caleb carrying the bunch of grapes from the valley of Eshcol in the land of Canaan, back to Moses and the children of Israel (Numbers 13: 23-4); a small number of firebacks bear the initials, GK; it is not known to whom they refer, but dated examples are of 1700.

    Copies of this fireback are known.

    Inscription: G K

    Manufactured: in 1700 in the Siegerland area of Germany.

    Current location: Tiverton Castle, Tiverton, Devon, England.

    Citation: Hodgkinson, J. S., 2010, British Cast-Iron Firebacks of the 16th to Mid-18th Centuries (Crawley, Hodgers Books).

  3. 1274

    va_53a.jpg
    315 x 615 mm

    Description: Arched rectangular central panel with bead edging; image of two helmeted men in 17th century dress, on a ground, carrying a huge bunch of grapes slung from a pole between them, behind are vine leaves; the initials located below the top corners; arched rectangular border, fillet edging, containing vine leaves and grapes; above, symmetrical swirling foliage descending from a scallop shell; bottom of the image obscured by corrosion damage.

    Notes: The scene, drawn from the Old Testament, represents Joshua and Caleb carrying the bunch of grapes from the valley of Eshcol in the land of Canaan, back to Moses and the children of Israel (Numbers 13: 23-4); a popular subject on a variety of media in the period.

    Inscription: I N

    Manufactured: in the mid to late 17th century possibly in the Siegerland area of Germany.

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

    Museum number: M.372-1912 (part of the Victoria & Albert Museum museum group)

  4. 944

    westland_ltd 10512 800x860.jpg
    800 x 860 mm

    Description: Cavetto-canted arched rectangular shape; double fillet edging on top, pilasters with diagonal striping at sides; double bead and pellet moulding parallel to, and inside fillet, enclosing pictorial representation of Joshua and Caleb carrying an outsize bunch of grapes; below them, at each side, a basket of flowers and fruit, and between them a cartouche with a date; on top, two symmetrical cornucopiae spilling their contents down the canted shoulders of the plate; at bottom, a plain extension panel.

    Notes: The image is derived from a fireback of c.1700, in the series identified by the letters GK, as is the date cartouche. This is a contrived design using elements from another fireback.

    Inscription: [indecipherable poss. 1700]

    Manufactured: in the 19th century in France.

    Current location:, not known.