Firebacks

Description: Rectangular; cyma recta moulded edging; centre top, date formed of individual stamps.

Notes: The moulding used for the edging, which was probably derived from redundant furniture, is very similar to that used on several firebacks of a similar style in the late 17th century, although the lettering style is different. Although its small height suggests that this may only be the top half of a fireback, the existence of a plate of similar dimensions in Brighton Museum may indicate that the proportions were deliberate.

Inscription: 1728

Description: Rectangular; cavetto moulded edging; pictorial scene of the siege of Bethulia, with Judith placing the severed head of Holofernes into the bag held by her maid; in the lower panel are the top parts of four knightly figures.

Notes: The design is after one by the pattern-maker, Philipp Soldan, and derived from a woodcut of an engraving by Israhel van Meckenhem; it illustrates scenes from the Apocryphal book of Judith.