Fireback thumbnail 1
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Fireback

mid 17th century (made)
Artist/Maker
John Browne of Brenchley (makers)
Place of origin
Kent (made)

Fireback cast with the arms of John Browne of Brenchley comprising a griffin passant and a chief, above the crest an eagle rising.

Object details

Categories
Metalwork
Ironwork
Object type
Fireback
Materials and techniques
Cast iron
Iron
Casting
Brief description
Fireback, cast iron depicting a griffin and eagle, the arms of ironfounder John Browne of Brenchley, Kent, probably made in his foundry, after 1626
Physical description
Fireback cast with the arms of John Browne of Brenchley comprising a griffin passant and a chief, above the crest an eagle rising.
Gallery label
(07/1994)
FIREBACK
Cast iron
England; after 1626

Cast with the arms of John Browne of Brenchley, Kent, an ironfounder who was granted arms in 1626. It was presumably made in his own foundry.

Museum No. 493-1901
Historical context
The museum is grateful for images and information supplied by the researcher and author, Jeremy Hodgkinson FSA, 30 March 2022
Subjects depicted
Fire
Coats of Arms
Griffins
Eagles (Birds)
Bibliographic references
  • Gloag, John and Derek Bridgwater. A history of cast iron in architecture. London : G. Allen and Unwin. 1948. 395p., ill. Fig.30, p.2.
  • 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. 215, pp.158, 249-50
Collection
Metalwork Collection
Accession number
493-1901

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O324686/fireback-john-browne-of/
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