Fireback thumbnail 1
Fireback thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Ironwork, Room 114a

Fireback

ca. 1700-1750 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
England (made)

Fireback made of cast iron. The fireback features the ironmaster, who is shown with his dog and the tools and products of his trade. In the bottom left hand corner is the furnace with its tall chimney.


Object details

Categories
Metalwork
Ironwork
Object type
Fireback
Materials and techniques
Cast iron
Iron
Casting
Brief description
Fireback, cast iron, featuring the ironmaster, his dog and the tools of his trade, England, ca. 1700-1750
Physical description
Fireback made of cast iron. The fireback features the ironmaster, who is shown with his dog and the tools and products of his trade. In the bottom left hand corner is the furnace with its tall chimney.
Dimensions
  • Height: 54cm
  • Width: 49.5cm
  • Depth: 2.5cm
Marks and inscriptions
Gallery label
FIREBACK Cast iron England; 1700-50 The model for this example is a dated fireback of 1636 in Anne of Cleves' House Museum, Lewes, Sussex (see photograph opposite). This has the inscription RICHARD LENARD FOUNDER AT BRED FOURNIS. The ironmaster, who had the founder at Brede, Sussex from 1605 is shown with his dog and the tools and products of his trade. In the bottom left hand corner is the furnace with its tall chimney - one of the earliest images of a British foundry. The Museum's version lacks the inscription, date and shield, and its surface is less crisp, suggesting that it may be a later casting of a popular pattern. C. Herbert Shoppee Collection Museum No. 494-1901(07/1994)
Object history
The version of which this is a casting is dated 1639, but may be a later remodelling based on a 1636 original in Anne of Cleves' House Museum, Lewes, Sussex. This has the inscription RICHARD LENARD FOUNDER AT BRED FOURNIS. The ironmaster, who had the founder at Brede, Sussex from 1605 is shown with his dog and the tools and products of his trade. In the bottom left hand corner is the furnace with its tall chimney - one of the earliest images of a British foundry. The Museum's version lacks the inscription, date and shield, and its surface is less crisp, suggesting that it may be a later casting of a popular pattern.
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
  • Gloag, John and Derek Bridgwater. A history of cast iron in architecture. London : G. Allen and Unwin. 1948. 395p., ill. fig.32, p.30
  • Gardner, John Starkie. Ironwork. Part 2: Continental ironwork of the renaissance and later periods. London, 1896. fig.25, p.159
  • Jenkins, R. The Rise and Fall of the Sussex Iron Industry. Transactions of the Newcomen Society. I, 1920-1. pp.1-18, pl. I.
  • Lloyd, N. Domestic Ironwork. I. Firebacks. Archaeological Review. LVIII, 1925. pp.58-67, pl.II
  • Ames, A. Collecting Cast Iron. Ashbroune, 1980. Fig.31.
  • Fearn, J. Cast Iron. Shire Publications, 1990. p.5.
  • Roberts & Co. Trade Catalogue. Period Grates and Fireplace Accessories. 1925. Section IV, p.23, R.19.
  • Christian, G. The Skill of the Ironmaster. Sussex Archeological Society, 1955.
Collection
Metalwork Collection
Accession number
494-1901

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O324685/fireback-unknown/
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