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1 of 253523 objects
Pair of andirons c. 1670
Silver gilt | 82.5 x 60.8 x 51.0 cm (whole object) | RCIN 50815
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A pair of large silver-gilt andirons, each with a flambeau finial on an urn-shaped stem elaborately cast with acanthus leaves, masks and swags. The base is cast with two dragon-headed scrolls with lion paw feet, embossed with acanthus leaves, supporting a spread eagle above an applied CR monogram; on a triangular base with incurved sides, and rosette and acanthus feet.
Andirons, or firedogs, served the practical purpose of supporting logs within an open hearth. Although usually made of iron or bronze, those supplied for the most important rooms of the royal palaces were ostentatiously made of silver. This pair was made for Charles II and probably formed part of a larger suite of silver furnishings that included a table, stands and mirror, sconces and a chandelier, a magnificent arrangement of furniture that emulated the spectacular displays of silver at the Louvre and Versailles.
Although it is not possible to identify this particular pair of andirons in the Jewel House accounts, several silver pairs are recorded to have been in use at the palaces. In 1671, the Jewel House ordered a new pair of silver andirons to be made for Catherine of Braganza 'of ye same fashion as ye Queen has already made choice of'. Three years later, these were boiled and burnished, along with the queen's silver sconces and chandeliers. The fireplace in Charles II's state bedchamber at Whitehall was also furnished with a pair of silver andirons and a fire shovel with a silver handle. The Jewel House accounts for James II's reign similarly record several pairs of silver andirons with matching shovels and tongs that were regularly 'new boyled and amended' for Mary of Modena. This pair of andirons is elaborately cast with acanthus leaves, masks, dragon heads, lion paw feet and an eagle with the king's monogram applied at the centre, a style that is reminiscent of the designs of Claude Ballin and Nicholas de Launay (1646–1727), who supplied silver furniture for Louis XIV at Versailles. Although silver andirons were regularly cleaned by the Jewel House, it is not certain that they were used when a fire was lit. They may have been purely decorative and intended to be displayed in the hearth during the summer months.
Text adapted from Charles II: Art and Power (2017).Provenance
Charles II; altered and gilded for George IV for use as decorative objects to stand on the buffet, by Rundell, Bridge & Rundell.
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Creator(s)
(goldsmith)(goldsmith)(retailer)Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Silver gilt
Measurements
82.5 x 60.8 x 51.0 cm (whole object)
Category
Object type(s)