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George Washington Jack for Longden and Co.
An Arts & Crafts fireplace crafted from cast iron for the fire grate, copper plating on the top panel, and Cipollino marble for the fire surrounds.
On its left-hand cast iron panel, it features a cast inscription with a riddle: "The fire my glittering father is, the earth's my mother kind, the sea my younger brother is, but me no man can find." The right-hand panel bears the words, "Who can stand against his cold."
George Jack exhibited a fire grate of this design at the fourth annual arts and crafts exhibition in 1893. This fireplace design is known to have at least two other iterations. One was commissioned in 1895 for the House of Falkland in Fife, Scotland, specifically for Lady Margaret's sitting room, where it still stands. It is identical to this piece except for a visible date on the right-hand panel. Another variation, featuring Carrara marble, was designed by Scottish architect James Miller (1860-1947) for the Royal reception rooms at the Glasgow International Exhibition of 1901.
