Antique Cornish Marble Serpentine Model Font 19th C
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This is a stunning 19th century Cornish "serpentine" marble model font with an octagonal reservoir above a cluster of four columns resting on domed circular base, c.1870 in date.
Made with serpentine from Lizard in Cornwall, England.
The full size serpentine font which this is copied from is at Cadwith Church on the Lizard peninsula.
Local clergymen would often carry one of these replicas with them to give blessings in peoples homes.
Perfect for displaying as a desk ornament sure to become the centrepiece of your collection.
Condition:
In excellent condition, please see photos for confirmation.
Dimensions in cm:
Height 17 x Width 15 x Depth 15
Dimensions in inches:
Height 7 inches x Width 6 inches x Depth 6 inches
Serpentine Marble / Verde Antico
Serpentine is a major rock forming mineral and is found as a constituent in many metamorphic and weathered igneous rocks. Serpentine’s structure is composed of layers of silicate tetrahedrons linked into sheets; this structure is what gives it its high flexural strength rating.
Verde Antico is the commercial name for the serpentine “marble” derived from highly sheared ultramafic rocks that have been rewelded and metasomatized by the process of serpentinization. These ultramafic bodies are now recognized as segments of ancient oceanic crust that became part of the eastern North American continent during the Taconian orogeny. This is considered to be middle Ordovician in age, around 450 million years ago.
More deformation and metamorphism took place during the Acadian orogeny around 360 million years ago.
Angelica Kauffman, RA (1741 - 1807)
was a Swiss-born Austrian Neoclassical painter who had a successful career in London and Rome. Though born as "Kauffmann", Kauffman is the preferred spelling of her name in English; it is the form she herself used most in signing her correspondence, documents and paintings.
While Kauffman produced many types of art, she identified herself primarily as a history painter, an unusual designation for a woman artist in the 18th century. History painting, was considered the most elite and lucrative category in academic painting during this time period. Under the direction of Sir Joshua Reynolds, the Royal Academy made a strong effort to promote history painting to a native audience who were more interested in commissioning and buying portraits and landscapes.
Despite the popularity that Kauffman enjoyed in British society and her success as an artist, she was disappointed by the relative apathy that the British had towards history painting. Ultimately she left Britain for the continent, where history painting was better established, held in higher esteem and patronized.
The works of Angelica Kauffman have retained their reputation. By 1911, rooms decorated with her work were still to be seen in various quarters. At Hampton Court was a portrait of the duchess of Brunswick; in the National Portrait Gallery, a self-portrait. There were other pictures by her at Paris, at Dresden, in the Hermitage at St Petersburg, in the Alte Pinakothek atMunich, in Kadriorg Palace, Tallinn (Estonia).
Satinwood
is a hard and durable wood with a satinlike sheen, much used in cabinetmaking, especially in marquetry. It comes from two tropical trees of the family Rutaceae (rue family). East Indian or Ceylon satinwood is the yellowish or dark-brown heartwood of Chloroxylon swietenia.
The lustrous, fine-grained, usually figured wood is used for furniture, cabinetwork, veneers, and backs of brushes. West Indian satinwood, sometimes called yellow wood, is considered superior. It is the golden yellow, lustrous, even-grained wood found in the Florida Keys and the West Indies.
It has long been valued for furniture. It is also used for musical instruments, veneers, and other purposes. Satinwood is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Sapindales, family Rutaceae.
Our reference: 08812
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