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142
Description: Arched rectangular shaped; cavetto moulded edging (top and sides); a cabled anchor palewise, behind it the inscription on a scroll parallel with the anchor flukes.
Notes: The inscription is a quotation from Psalms 139: 1: 'Domine, probasti me et cognovisti me' - Lord, Thou hast searched me and known me. Another version of the same design may come from the same source. Formerly part of the Ade Collection (from Grove Hill, Hellingly, Sussex).
Copies of this fireback are known.
Inscription: PROBASTI ME [Thou hast searched me]
- Decoration tags:
- arched rectangular (shape)
- cavetto (edging)
- whole carved pattern
- heraldic
- text
- objects
Manufactured: in the mid to late 17th century possibly at Brede Furnace in the Weald area of England.
Current location: Hastings Museum and Art Gallery, John's Place, Bohemia Road, Hastings, East Sussex, England.
Museum number: HASMG: 1952.51.38 (part of the Hastings Museum museum group)
- Attached to series:
- Small cavetto series
- Old Testament & Apocrypha firebacks
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146
Description: Arched rectangular shape; cavetto moulded edging; shield, helm, crest, supporters, mantling and motto of the Corporation of the City of London; initials split by crest; date split at ends of motto.
Notes: Shield: Argent, a cross gules, in the first quarter a sword in pale point upwards of the last; crest: on a wreath argent and gules a dragon's sinister wing argent, charged on the underside with a cross throughout gules; supporters: on either side a dragon argent charged on the undersides of the wings with a cross throughout gules; motto: Domine Dirige Nos - Lord Direct Us; the earliest illustration of the arms in this form was in 1609, but their use is older. Formerly part of the Ade Collection (from Grove Hill, Hellingly, Sussex).
Copies of this fireback are known.
Inscription: F W / 16 DOMINE DIRIGE NOS 59
Arms: Corporation of the City of London
- Decoration tags:
- arched rectangular (shape)
- cavetto (edging)
- whole carved pattern
- individual letters
- armorial
- text
Manufactured: in 1659 possibly in the Weald area of England.
Current location: Hastings Museum and Art Gallery, John's Place, Bohemia Road, Hastings, East Sussex, England.
Museum number: HASMG: 1952.51.53 (part of the Hastings Museum museum group)
- Attached to series:
- Civic firebacks
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162
Description: Arched rectangular shaped; cavetto-moulded edge; figure of St Paul, a sword in his left hand, holding a viper in his right hand over flames rising from the ground.
Notes: The scene illustrates an episode in the New Testament, Acts 28: 3. The design shows stylistic similarities to other firebacks where simple, well-executed relief has overlapped the cavetto edging. Formerly part of the Ade Collection (from Grove Hill, Hellingly, Sussex).
Copies of this fireback are known.
- Decoration tags:
- arched rectangular (shape)
- cavetto (edging)
- whole carved pattern
- pictorial
- biblical
- humans
Manufactured: in the mid to late 17th century possibly in the Weald area of England.
Current location: Hastings Museum and Art Gallery, John's Place, Bohemia Road, Hastings, East Sussex, England.
Museum number: HASMG: 1952.51.25 (part of the Hastings Museum museum group)
Citation: Butterfield, W. R., 1916, 'Old Wealden Firebacks', The Connoisseur, 46, pp. 197-209.
- Attached to series:
- Small cavetto series
- New Testament firebacks
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190
Description: Arched rectangle; bevelled edge to arch and top of shoulders; initials at centre top of arch, in triangle 'S' at top; date below initials.
Notes: Possibly the work of David Robertson (1716-93), the King's Smith, whose iron grates are commonly to be found in houses designed by the prominent Scottish architects, Robert, John and James Adam, of whom he was a kinsman; the form of the plate is typical of grate-backs Robertson made in a variety of sizes, notably at Dumfries House, Ayrshire, although the lack of evidence of fixings suggest that this may have been made to be free-standing. Until 1756/7 Robertson had his forge in a tenement in Niddery's Wynd, Edinburgh, between High Street and Cow Gate, next door to John Adam's premises, although it is not known if he had a foundry there.
Inscription: S / W A / 1745
- Decoration tags:
- arched rectangular (shape)
- individual letters
- individual numbers
- text
Manufactured: in 1745 possibly in the Edinburgh area of Scotland.
Current location: Hill Top, Sawrey, Hawkshead, Hawkshead, Cumbria, England.
Museum number: 641831 (part of the National Trust museum group)
- Attached to series:
- Date & initials firebacks
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191
Description: Arched rectangle; cavetto moulded edging; Tudor royal shield, Garter and crown, with crowned lion and dragon supporters; motto along bottom; Tudor rose to left of crown, portcullis to right.
Notes: This painted fireback is reputed to have been a gift from King Henry VIII to the second Sir William Godolphin, who was present at the Siege of Boulogne in 1544 with a party of Godolphin tin miners.
Copies of this fireback are known.
Inscription: HONI SOIT QVI MAL E PENSE / DIEU ET MON DROIT
Arms: Tudor royal (Elizabeth I)
- Decoration tags:
- arched rectangular (shape)
- cavetto (edging)
- whole carved pattern
- armorial
- text
Manufactured: in the mid to late 16th century possibly in the Weald area of England.
Current location: Godolphin House, Helston, Cornwall, England.
Museum number: 169480 (part of the National Trust museum group)
- Attached to series:
- Tudor royal armorial firebacks
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1075
Description: Arched rectangular shape; cavetto-moulded edging (top and sides); English Stuart Royal arms, garter, supporters, crown and motto; altered date above crown.
Notes: This design, which probably dates from 1619, has been used to cast composite firebacks with a variety of altered dates ranging from 1629 to 1662.
Copies of this fireback are known.
Inscription: 1639 [illegible Garter and royal mottoes]
Arms: English Stuart royal
- Decoration tags:
- arched rectangular (shape)
- cavetto (edging)
- whole carved pattern
- individual numbers
- heraldic
- armorial
- text
Manufactured: in 1639 in the Forest of Dean area of England.
Current location: Black and White House Museum, The Old House, High Town, Hereford, Herefordshire, England.
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320
Description: Low arched rectangular shape; broad rebated fillet edging; stylised Tudor royal shield, crown and supporters (dragon and greyhound); Tudor rose in top left corner; portcullis in top right corner.
Notes: Pastiche 'Tudor' design by George Shaw of Saddleworth, Lancashire, c.1850, possibly intended to be passed off as genuine Tudor. A fireback of the same armorial design within a different, arched edging is at Wirkworth Castle, Northumberland (see no. 1246).
Arms: Tudor royal
- Decoration tags:
- arched rectangular (shape)
- fillet (edging)
- whole carved pattern
- armorial
- royal
Manufactured: in the mid 19th century possibly in the Lancashire area of England.
Current location: Hever Castle, Hever, Kent, England.
- Attached to series:
- George Shaw series
- Tudor royal armorial firebacks
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915
Description: Rectangular with superimposed arch; embattled, cavetto-moulded edging, with the top edge of the rectangle interrupted; quartered shield, helm, crest and mantling.
Notes: The arms appear to be those of the family of Armeston of Burbage, Leicestershire, possibly Thomas Armeston (c1606-85), 2nd son of Thomas Armeston (d.1640), sometime MP for Leicestershire: 1st and 4th (Armeston) sable a chevron between three spear heads argent with a crescent for difference, 2nd (unknown) three chevronels with a rose in a canton, 3rd (unknown) a fess between two chevronels, a crescent for difference over all. The Armeston crest is a dragon's head erased vert scaled or and charged with a crescent of the same for difference; the crescent is the mark of cadency for the second son; in this instance the arms appear to be of a second son descended from a second son in an earlier generation. The embattled edging and superimposed arch are features of a series of firebacks dated 1619. However, the style of the mantling is typical of a small group of firebacks noted in Herefordshire.
Arms: Armeston, of Burbage, Leicestershire
- Decoration tags:
- arched rectangular (shape)
- embattled cavetto (edging)
- whole carved pattern
- armorial
Manufactured: in the early to mid 17th century in England.
Current location: in private hands, Honiton, Devon, England.
- Attached to series:
- Personal armorial firebacks
- Herefordshire armorial series
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1003
Description: Large plain arched rectangular fireback with astragal edging on the top and sides.
Notes: Exceptionally large fireback, finely cast.
- Decoration tags:
- arched rectangular (shape)
- astragal (edging)
- whole carved pattern
Manufactured: in the late 18th to early 19th century in England.
Current location: in private hands, Horsham, West Sussex, England.
- Attached to series:
- Base boards
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329
Description: Arched rectangular shape; simulated twisted rope edging (top & sides); central, symmetrical arrangement of a fleur-de-lys between two diamond stamps with two small cross-cut squares below, and a triad of dots outside; above, a haphazard arrangement of date, at top, above the initials, with a rose and crown to the left, and another fleur to the right.
Notes: Almost certainly an altered copy of a similar fireback dated 1613, some of the features of which have remained.
Inscription: 1637 / ILE
- Decoration tags:
- arched rectangular (shape)
- simulated rope (edging)
- carved stamps
- individual letters
- individual numbers
- heraldic
- text
Manufactured: in 1637 in the Weald area of England.
Current location: Horsham Museum, Causeway, Horsham, West Sussex, England.
(part of the Horsham Museum museum group)
- Attached to series:
- Diamond series