Fireback thumbnail 1
Fireback thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Ironwork, Room 113

Fireback

1729-1770 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The arms on this fireback may be those of a George Worge of Starrs Green, Battle, Sussex (1705-65) incorporating those of Elizabeth, coheiress of Collier of Hastings (d. 1767), whom he married in 1729, an earliest possible date for the fireback. The same arms occur on a slate grave slab in Battle Church and again on another fireback, dated 1762, at Great Dixter, Northiam, Sussex.

Another fireback, with a different design in place of the armorial, shows that it was formed from an elaborate, rococo pattern, which could be 'personalised' by the addition of a coat-of-arms placed within a the central oval.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Cast iron
Brief description
Fireback with elaborate Rococo-style surround and a central oval bearing an armorial, cast iron, England, 1729-1770.
Physical description
Cast iron fireback with elaborate Rococo-style surround and a central oval bearing an armorial
Dimensions
  • Height: 87cm
  • Width: 69.5cm
  • Depth: 6cm
Marks and inscriptions
Ornamental shell
Gallery label
  • FIREBACK Cast iron England; 1729-70 The arms may be those of a George Worge of Starrs Green, Battle, Sussex (1705-65) incorporating those of Elizabeth, coheiress of Collier of Hastings (d. 1767), whom he married in 1729. The same arms occur on a slate grave slab in Battle Church. An identical fireback with different arms shows how the central space could be personalised in the mould. Museum No. 686-1899(22/03/2022)
  • [Content superseded] FIREBACK Cast iron England; 1700-50 The arms may be those of a George Worge of Starrs Green, Battle, Sussex (1705-65) incorporating those of Elizabeth, coheiress of Collier of Hastings (d. 1767), whom he married in 1729. The same arms occur on a cast iron grave slab in Battle Church. Museum No. 686-1899(07/1994)
Object history
The arms may be those of a George Worge of Starrs Green, Battle, Sussex (1705-65) incorporating those of Elizabeth, coheiress of Collier of Hastings (d. 1767), whom he married in 1729. The same arms occur on a slate grave slab in Battle Church and again on another fireback, dated 1762, at Great Dixter, Northiam, Sussex. The existence of another fireback, with a different design in place of the armorial, shows that it was formed from an untypically elaborate, rococo pattern, which could be 'personalised' by the addition of a design element placed within a circular aperture.
Historical context
The museum is grateful for images and information supplied by the researcher and author, Jeremy Hodgkinson FSA, 30 March 2022
Subjects depicted
Summary
The arms on this fireback may be those of a George Worge of Starrs Green, Battle, Sussex (1705-65) incorporating those of Elizabeth, coheiress of Collier of Hastings (d. 1767), whom he married in 1729, an earliest possible date for the fireback. The same arms occur on a slate grave slab in Battle Church and again on another fireback, dated 1762, at Great Dixter, Northiam, Sussex.

Another fireback, with a different design in place of the armorial, shows that it was formed from an elaborate, rococo pattern, which could be 'personalised' by the addition of a coat-of-arms placed within a the central oval.
Bibliographic references
  • Butterfield, W. Ruskin. Old Wealden Firebacks. The Connoisseur. Dec. 1916. pp.197-206.
  • Lloyd, N. Domestic Ironwork. I. Firebacks. Archaeological Review. LVIII, 1925. pp.58-67.
  • Melville, J. Any Old Iron? Art and Antiques Weekly. July 22nd 1972. pp.18-21.
  • Starkie Gardner, J. Iron Casting in the Weald. Archaeologie. LVI, May 12th 1898. pp.133-164.
  • Hodgkinson, Jeremy. British Cast-Iron Firebacks of the 16th to Mid-18th Centuries. Crawley: HodgersBooks. 2010 fig. 160, pp. 128, 242
Collection
Accession number
686-1899

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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