Fireplace
Category
Fixtures and fittings
Date
Unknown
Materials
oak, stone, gilding and ceramic
Measurements
2250 x 3000 x 770 mm
Order this imageCollection
Dyffryn House and Gardens, Vale of Glamorgan
NT 1682837
Summary
Fireplace. An ornately carved oak fire surrond and stone chimney piece. The fire surround hood is supported by two large female figures carved in oak. The figure to the left holds a cornucopia (Abundance) and the figure to the right holds a mirror in her left hand and a snake around her right arm(Prudence). The overmantel panel carved in a foliate design with gilt frame. The stone chimneypiece is decorated with a carved heraldic shield with columned arches to either side of it. The fireback is lined with geometric patterned ceramic tiles in blue ,green and yellow. This fireplace has mixed origins; it is believed that the oak fire surround is Dutch and the stone chimneypeice French.
Provenance
John Cory purchased the Duffryn Estate in 1891 and began remodelling the original house. Some of the grander fireplaces predate 1891, being purchased from other houses, but would have been installed during this building phase along with ones custom made for the house. The wealth of the Cory family came from their coal mining and shipping businesses and the grandeur of the fireplaces would have boasted the origins of their wealth to guests.