
Africa lamp standard, from a series of four cast-iron standards representing continents, produced by the Coalbrookdale Company in the 1860s and thought to have been designed by John Bell
Date | 30 March 2015 | ||
Location | Coalbrookdale | SJ 66770 04671; 52.63874°N, 2.49248°W | |
Information |
Further Reading
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Boy and Swan Fountain (John Bell). This was one of pieces displayed in 1851 by the Coalbrookdale Company at the Great Exhibition in Crystal Palace, Hyde Park. The work was sold to Wolverhampton Corporation but returned to Coalbrookdale in 1959.

Andromeda. One of the Coalbrookdale Company’s pieces shown at the 1851 Great Exhibition was a bronze statue of Andromeda designed by sculptor John Bell. This cast-iron version was made afterwards.

In Greek mythology, Andromeda was an Ethiopian princess. Her mother, Cassiopeia, was punished for her arrogance by the god of the sea Poseidon, who sent the sea monster Cetus to wreak havoc on the country. Chained naked to a rock, Andromeda was offered as sacrifice in appeasement. She was rescued from her fate by Perseus, who turned the sea monster to stone using the head of the Gorgon Medusa.

Oak and Ivy Chair – part of a garden bench and chairs set designed in 1859. The Coalbrookdale Company produced a range of garden furniture featuring different floral designs.
Super photos, as per! I love the way that in your photos the sculptures look as if they are carved from Jet. Beautiful control of light and tone. How would the Victorians have perpetrated their flights of erotic fancy without the Greek Legends to help justify them 🙂
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Many thanks, Iain. There is something very appealing about the lustrous black surfaces.
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une très belle série intimiste ♥
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Merci bien!
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Beautiful, amazing how iron, a material more widely used as a construction and heavy engineering material could also be considered for use in something as ornately decorate as these items.
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Many thanks, Andy. I have to say that the upstairs exhibition at the Museum of Iron is one of my favourites of the Ironbridge Gorge Museums.
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Stunning.
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Thank you!
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