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

Fireback

post 1837 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
England (made)
Wales (made)

Cast iron fireback, cast with the arms and motto of Conroy of Llanbrynmair, in Montgomeryshire. The inscription beneath the crest, the Conroy motto, translates as 'Antiquity cannot abolish it'.


Object details

Categories
Metalwork
Ironwork
Object type
Fireback
Materials and techniques
Cast iron
Iron
Casting
Brief description
Ironwork fireback, cast iron with the arms and motto of Conroy of Llanbrynmair, made in England or Wales, after 1837
Physical description
Cast iron fireback, cast with the arms and motto of Conroy of Llanbrynmair, in Montgomeryshire. The inscription beneath the crest, the Conroy motto, translates as 'Antiquity cannot abolish it'.
Dimensions
  • Height: 57cm
  • Width: 52cm
  • Depth: 2.5cm
Gallery label
FIREBACK Cast iron England or Wales; after 1837 Cast with the arms and motto of Conroy of Llanbrynmair, in Montgomeryshire, who was created baronet in 1837. The improvement in foundry technique for casting firebacks in the 19th century was not accompanied by an improvement in design, which was often uninspired and rigid, like this one. The effects of exposure to heat and black-leading can be seen by comparing the surface to those of the older firebacks. Museum No. 502-1896(07/1994)
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
Bibliographic references
  • Gloag, John and Derek Bridgwater. A history of cast iron in architecture. London : G. Allen and Unwin. 1948. 395p., ill. Fig.37, p.33
  • Lloyd, N. Domestic Ironwork. I. Firebacks. Archaeological Review. LVIII, 1925. pp.58-67.
Collection
Metalwork Collection
Accession number
502-1896

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O324693/fireback-unknown/
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