A PAIR OF FEDERAL BRIGHT-CUT GILT-BRASS ANDIRONS

Elegant in design and proportion, this superb pair of andirons with bright cut decoration relates closely to a pair that was recently sold, Leland Little Auctions, Hillsborough, North Carolina, 12 September 2015, lot 462; that pair, from New York or Philadelphia, circa 1790-1800 has finely engraved decoration present on three sides including an urn and willow mourning motif which was popular on objects of the time. Related andirons are illustrated in Peter, Nancy and Herbert Schiffer, The Brass Book, (Exton, 1978), p. 62, fig. A. These feature the similar urn and plinth design with spurred knees and ball and claw feet.