Fireboard

Maker Unknown, American

Additional Title(s)

Paint Decorated Fireboard

Collections

Jonathan and Karin Fielding Collection

ClassificationsDECORATIVE ARTS

Dateca. 1825

Mediumpolychrome pigment and pine

Dimensions38 1/2 x 60 x 1 1/2 in. (97.8 x 152.4 x 3.8 cm.)

DescriptionThe large center panel featuring an urn filled with a lush arrangement of flowers and grapes bordered with a faux marble frame; origin probably Cape Ann, Massachusetts.

Credit LineJonathan and Karin Fielding Collection

Status

On view

Label TextFireboards were typically placed on the hearth during the summer when the fireplace was not in use. They helped seal it off, preventing soot, dust, and chimney swallows from entering the house. Often painted with floral decoration, they added color and fanciful ornamentation to the home's interior. This lush bouquet featuring flowers and grapes in a marble vase is typical of the neoclassical compositions produced in the first quarter of the 19th century. The vase, painted in simulated marble, is situated on a plinth, which also simulates this stone. This refined arrangement is surrounded by a painted marble border that suggests an elegant fireplace.

Object numberL2015.41.133