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Lot Essay
A photograph of the firescreen in-situ believed to date from 1905 is held in the Archives of Cardiff Castle.
The fire-screen was designed for the 3rd Marquess of Bute by William Burges for the Summer Smoking Room at Cardiff Castle, as part of a suite of ebonised furniture.
The Marquess was Burges's wealthiest and most significant. In 1865 Burges was employed to review the existing architecture of Cardiff Castle and by the following year had begun work on living quarters, which included the Summer Smoking Room. The dragon iconography of the fire-screen is appropriate both as an emblem within a Welsh castle and as a fire-breathing beast for a fireplace. The rich and eclectic range of decorative themes in the Summer Smoking Room incorporated the five continents and the Holy City on the tiled floor; a chimney carved with the amusements of Summer; a frieze painted with the Zodiac and figures from classical mythology; eight Greek winds; 17 metals, astronomers of the past; the four elements; stars; and a sunburst chandelier.
The fire-screen was designed for the 3rd Marquess of Bute by William Burges for the Summer Smoking Room at Cardiff Castle, as part of a suite of ebonised furniture.
The Marquess was Burges's wealthiest and most significant. In 1865 Burges was employed to review the existing architecture of Cardiff Castle and by the following year had begun work on living quarters, which included the Summer Smoking Room. The dragon iconography of the fire-screen is appropriate both as an emblem within a Welsh castle and as a fire-breathing beast for a fireplace. The rich and eclectic range of decorative themes in the Summer Smoking Room incorporated the five continents and the Holy City on the tiled floor; a chimney carved with the amusements of Summer; a frieze painted with the Zodiac and figures from classical mythology; eight Greek winds; 17 metals, astronomers of the past; the four elements; stars; and a sunburst chandelier.