Circa Late 19th-Century Cast Iron Victorian-Style Pediment With Fruit Urn & Swooping Ravens

Details

Description

Excellent Pre-Owned Condition.

This beauty was cast sometime in the late 19th-century to early 20th-century. Foundry markings are on the … Read more Excellent Pre-Owned Condition.

This beauty was cast sometime in the late 19th-century to early 20th-century. Foundry markings are on the backside (see last two photos) but there is no company name. It was professionally repainted sometime in the 1980s with the fabulous jewel-tone colors shown in the photos to match the previous owners’ décor style and color preferences. This beauty measures 29½” x 11½” x 1¼” W/H/D; weight 17 lbs. Medium is cast iron with a Victorian-style profile of a decorative footed urn adorned with lanceolate and acanthus leaves and topped by an overflowing assortment of fruit and a swooping raven on each side. Acanthus leaves adorn the swirling scrolls, as well. In excellent condition with age-appropriate wear. Nicely weighted and structurally sound.

Of note, an imitation cast form has been produced as early as the late 20th-century. The imitations are cast from a mould that does not offer the same detail, quality and size as the original form’s mould. There is less ornamentation (fewer swirling scrolls) which results in a smaller profile, about 5 to 6 inches less in width.

Originally the pediment had a structural function in architecture. But if you fast forward 2,000 years from ancient Greece and Rome to the Baroque period of art and architecture, it was then that the pediment emerged as more of an ornamental detail to be extravagantly modified. Today, pediments are most often used to for both decorative and structural purposes in architecture. In residential architecture, pediments are commonly found above windows and doorways. In the garden, an ornamental iron pediment can be found atop an iron gate as a gate topper.

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