Bed warmer or warming pan
England, possibly London
1730-1770
Measurements
42-3/4 in x 12-5/8 in (dia) x 3-1/2 in
Materials
Brass, iron (handle, frame), copper (rivets in lid)
Credit Line
Historic Odessa Foundation, gift of H. Rodney Sharp
Accession Number
1959.3836
Condition Notes
The overhanging lid is bent inward slightly on the edge opposite the handle. It has a small tear at that location. The inside of the pan is blackened. Four clips were added to reinforce the attachment of the pan to circular frame.
Provenance
Ex coll. H. Rodney Sharp
Comments
This bed warmer, also called a warming pan, has a domed brass lid that overhangs the iron frame supporting a brass pan for hot embers. The rolled edge of the lid is bent over an iron wire core. The punchwork and engraved lid attaches with a three-part hinge. The lid decoration has six repeats of cones and clusters of circles arranged around a central boss of scrolls and coils, linking it to accession no. 1971.917. Both warmers have long, flat iron handles with a knop near the end, which appears to have been slipped onto the handle. The handle end loops around to form a hanging hook. A single brass rivet attaches the handle to a tab on the pan. Both warmers may have been made in London in the same shop or close artisan community.
This pan is similar to no. 93 in Donald L. Fennimore, Metalwork in Early America: Copper and Its Alloys from the Winterthur Collection (Winterthur, Del.: The Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, 1996), p. 175.
