Fireback thumbnail 1
Fireback thumbnail 2
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Fireback

1650 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
England (made)

Fire back, dated 1650, with Tudor rose and initials 'I M'

Object details

Categories
Metalwork
Ironwork
Object type
Fireback
Materials and techniques
Cast iron
Iron
Casting
Brief description
Fire back, cast iron with a crowned Tudor rose and the initials 'IM', England, 1650
Physical description
Fire back, dated 1650, with Tudor rose and initials 'I M'
Dimensions
  • Height: 44.5cm
  • Width: 44cm
  • Depth: 2.5cm
Gallery label
(07/1994)
FIREBACK
Cast iron
England; dated 1650

With a crowned Tudor rose and the initials IM. The same initials appear on another fireback M. 119-1953, dated 1649, suggesting that this may be a reference to the iron founder. The exact meaning of the rose is unclear.

Museum No. M.113-1953
Object history
The same initials appear on another fireback M. 119-1953, dated 1649, suggesting that this may be a reference to the iron founder. The exact meaning of the rose is unclear.
Historical context
The museum is grateful for images and information supplied by the researcher and author, Jeremy Hodgkinson FSA, 30 March 2022
Subject depicted
Fire
Bibliographic references
  • Jeremy Hodgkinson, "Pre-Restoration Iron Firebacks", The Journal of the Antique Metalware Society, Vol. 20, June 2012, pp. 2-15, ill. p. 14
  • Lloyd, N. Domestic Ironwork. I. Firebacks. Archaeological Review. LVIII, 1925. pp.58-67.
  • Hodgkinson, Jeremy. British Cast-Iron Firebacks of the 16th to Mid-18th Centuries. Crawley: HodgersBooks. 2010 fig. 257, pp. 178, 257
Collection
Metalwork Collection
Accession number
M.113-1953

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O324666/fireback-unknown/
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