Vase with Flowers thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Vase with Flowers

Chimney Board
ca.1710- ca.1740 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Chimney boards were used to seal hearths against draughts and soot in the summer. The earliest surviving ones were made in continental Europe in the late 17th century. We do not know just how popular they were in Britain, but in North America they became a notable form of folk art in the colonial period, and a number of examples have survived. The V&A has two British chimney boards, both painted with a vase of flowers within a surround of tiles. This decoration imitates the placement of real vases of flowers in the hearth, when a fire was not needed.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleVase with Flowers (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Oil on pine
Brief description
Chimney board constructed of vertical pine planks, painted in oil colours with flowers in a vase, within a frame of delft tiles
Physical description
Chimney board painted on a pine panel with oil, representing a vase of flowers within a surround of tiles.
Dimensions
  • Height: 38.5in
  • Width: 30.75in
Dimensions taken from departmental catalogue
Style
Credit line
Given by Mrs Arthur Chamberlain
Production
British school
Subjects depicted
Summary
Chimney boards were used to seal hearths against draughts and soot in the summer. The earliest surviving ones were made in continental Europe in the late 17th century. We do not know just how popular they were in Britain, but in North America they became a notable form of folk art in the colonial period, and a number of examples have survived. The V&A has two British chimney boards, both painted with a vase of flowers within a surround of tiles. This decoration imitates the placement of real vases of flowers in the hearth, when a fire was not needed.
Collection
Accession number
W.35-1928

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Record createdJune 15, 2007
Record URL
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