Fireplace shovel and tongs
England
1765-1800
Measurements
Shovel, 35-5/8 in x 8-1/2 in x 1-3/4 in; tongs, 33-1/4 in x 4-3/8 in x 1-3/4 in
Materials
Iron, brass
Credit Line
Historic Odessa Foundation, gift of H. Rodney Sharp
Accession Number
1958.3214
Provenance
Ex coll. H. Rodney Sharp
Comments
These ornate fire tools—a shovel and matching tongs—have sharply defined swellings with beads in the centers of the shafts and near the handles. The shovel repeats the motif and has an additional half-swell at the juncture of the brass handle. The brass sleeve handles are cast in halves and acorn-shaped with a finial. They are peened in place. The tongs have a similar handle, also above a half-swell. An additional swelling, shaped as a baluster, is immediately above the hinge for the arms. The hinge has an oval patera in the center of C shaped terminals that mount above inverted baluster shapes. The tongs end in the usual discs; the shovel has a wide flare.
