Stock No: 15960

A pair of Aesthetic Movement andirons attributed to Thomas Jekyll and possibly made by Barnard, Bishop and Barnards. Although unmarked, they possess the qualities of Jekyll's designs, with his signature use of Japanese mons within the decoration on the shafts. The rosettes symbolise night and day and with beautiful repoussé work a Kingfisher on a branch represents Day, or dawn, with the sun rising behind him, whilst the owl represents Night and is surrounded by stars.
English, c.1875.

Notes: Barnard, Bishop and Barnards were at the heart of Norwich's iron industry, and the company gained an international reputation after their collaboration with Thomas Jekyll.
Jeckyll’s associations with a group of London artists – notably James Abbott McNeill Whistler – made him a key figure in the Anglo-Japanese Aesthetic Movement. Jeckyll used japonaise designs for Barnards’ fireplaces while his sunflower motif came to symbolise the Aesthetic Movement.