Cast iron, showing Moses and the brazen serpent; perhaps Siegerland in NW Germany for the Dutch market, ca. 1650

Cast iron, showing Moses and the brazen serpent; Siegerland (NW Germany), ca. 1600- 1650

This fireback was probably made in Siegerland, NW Germany, a territory of a branch of the Dutch royal house of Nassau. Firebacks were not made in the Netherlands but many in this style have become associated with the region. Most were made in Siegerland for the Dutch market.

The fireback illustrates the Old Testament story of Moses and the brazen Serpent in the Wilderness (Numbers, chapter 21, verses 4-9). When the Israelites, who were suffering hardships in the desert, turned against God and Moses, they were punished with a plague of poisonous snakes. When they repented Moses was told to make a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. Whoever was bitten was cured by looking at the image.

The shape of the fireback and its elaborate floral border are typical of firebacks from Dutch homes of the 17th century.

Iron to be used for casting had to be heated to liquid form, which required a very high temperature. It is not known exactly when this became technically possible, but it was probably in the course of the 15th century. Firebacks survive which can be dated to the 16th century. They were used at the back of fireplaces, which were newly fashionable, and these firebacks served both to throw the heat of the fire forward into a room and to protect the brickwork. The patterns on firebacks were created by pressing one or more pattern-moulds into a bed of sand. After removing the moulds, the liquid iron was then poured in and allowed to cool.

Moulds for firebacks were generally of carved wood, but a fireback can itself act as a mould, perpetuating the same design for many generations, and sometimes making the dating of an iron fireback an inexact science. Firebacks can be made more difficult to date, as several popular designs were replicated in the 1920s and 30s .

The museum is grateful for images and information supplied by the researcher and author, Jeremy Hodgkinson FSA, 30 March 2022

This fireback was probably made in Siegerland, NW Germany, for the Dutch market. Religious subjects like this which shows the Biblical story of Moses and the brazen serpent were popular decoration for firebacks, particularly in the Netherlands and Germany. The patterns on firebacks were created by pressing one or more pattern-moulds into a bed of sand. After removing the moulds, the liquid iron was then poured in and allowed to cool. Iron to be used for casting had to be heated to liquid form, which required a very high temperature. It is not known exactly when this became technically possible, but it was probably in the course of the 15th century. Firebacks survive which can be dated to the 16th century. They were used at the back of fireplaces, which were newly fashionable, and these firebacks served both to throw the heat of the fire forward into a room and to protect the brickwork.

Moulds for firebacks were generally of carved wood, but a fireback can itself act as a mould, perpetuating the same design for many generations, and sometimes making the dating of an iron fireback an inexact science. Firebacks can be made more difficult to date, as several popular designs were replicated in the 1920s and 30s .

291-1893