 The
second half of the century is, without doubt the age of Robert
Adam and the fireplaces that bear his name. With his brother
James, Robert Adam produced pattern books covering all aspects
of architecture but it is probably for the fireplace that he
is best known. Adam was a master of detail – his designs,
although smaller and less extravagant than were common in the
previous fifty years, included beautifully finished detail,
almost all taken from classical mythology. This could include
a gold-leaf Etruscan motif or even a Wedgwood ceramic plaque.
Important rooms featured designs in fine white statuary marble
embellished with swags, ribbons, lyres and urns, whilst less
important rooms, and the vast emerging middle class, would be
supplied by scaled down copies of these designs in a variety
of imitation designs and materials. In the never-ending change
that is furnishing fashion, the designs became more classical
and less ornate in the dying years of the Georgian period and
influences, such as the Chinoiserie (Chinese influenced design)
favoured by the Prince Regent, George IV, became more evident.
In many ways this period was the heyday of the fireplace, the
design dimensions and features still copied in a myriad of imitations
for today’s market.
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