Lot 26
26
A fine English cast-iron 'Four Seasons' seat
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VA… Read more
A fine English cast-iron 'Four Seasons' seat

BY THE LION FOUNDRY, NORTHAMPTON, SECOND HALF 19TH CENTURY

Details
A fine English cast-iron 'Four Seasons' seat
By the Lion Foundry, Northampton, second half 19th Century
The tubular outer band of each circular back panel decorated in ribbon relief beneath an escutcheon naming each season, enclosing elaborate casting of seasonal foliage around a central cartouche of a bas-relief scene depicting playful putti emblematic of the Seasons, each stamped to the reverse REGISTERED BY W ROBERTS, LION FOUNDRY, NORTHAMPTON and divided by a scrolled arm rest issuing from a rams-mask above a pierced seat and apron on flower-festooned trestle supports, with numerous diamond registration date marks for 24 May 1859
83 in. (211 cm.) wide
Literature
J. Davis, Antique Garden Ornament, London, 1991, p. 274.
G. Plumptre, Garden Ornament - Five Hundred Years of History & Practice, London, 1989, p. 247.
Special notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

The Lion Foundry was established in Northampton in the early 1830s by John Brettel as the Beehive Foundry and renamed when William Roberts (d. 1868) joined in 1849. Roberts assumed control of the company three years later and under his tenure a similar design to this seat was registered with the Public Record Office in 1859.

A set of four cast-iron armchairs of the same design and representing the Four Seasons sold Christie's New York, 20 April 2006, lot 214 ($14,400).

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