Christopher Dresser & Barnard, Bishop & Barnard Aesthetic Movement Fireplace

A rare antique aesthetic movement fireplace circa 1880 made by Barnard, Bishop and Barnard, inset with four Linthorpe Pottery tiles designed by Christopher Dresser (1834-1904).

Beautifully crafted in fine walnut, this antique fire surround is an original of the ‘art for art’s sake’ aesthetic movement, the four round tiles detailed with an array of elegantly captured flowers and foliage.

The surround itself is attributed to the Norwich-based firm Barnard, Bishop and Barnard who, from 1846, produced a wide range of ornamental iron wares such as gates and garden items, as well as decorative fire surrounds.

Purposely made to display the ornate circular Christopher Dresser tiles, these tiles are seemingly unique, manufactured by Dresser’s Linthorpe Pottery (1879-1889). Almost identical round tiles hand-painted with floral motifs are impressed with the Linthorpe marking to the reverse and often signed with the artist’s monogram.

To our knowledge, there is only one other fireplace similar to this one on the market, inset with similar yet differing Linthorpe plaques. Perhaps both were commissioned by an architect for a property.

Other similar fire surrounds by Barnard, Bishop and Barnard are designed to house square tiles and attributed to English architect, Thomas Jeckyll, making this Christopher Dresser design a very rare and unusual find.

Additional Dimensions

Opening Height: 96 cm (37.79 in)
Opening Width: 92.5 cm (36.41 in)
Base width (outer foot block to outer foot block): 114 cm (44.88 in)

CONDITION REPORT

Good structural condition. Minor scuffs and scratches. Historic repair running vertically through the plate to the right of centre.