In earlier centuries, firebacks were placed in the back of fireboxes, offering protection to the back wall of the chimney and redirecting heat back into the room. Often times, these cast iron firebacks belonged to very important people, such as this one from circa 1690, which depicts the alliance of two influential French families; it most likely would have been given as a wedding gift or possibly even commissioned by the couple themselves.  Nicolas de Lamoignon, born in 1648, married Anne-Louise Bonnin de Chalucet (born 1645) in 1672. Lamoignon had numerous titles, including Marquis, Baron, and Lord, and was a lawyer in the Parliament of Paris. Bonnin was the daughter of the governor of Nantes, Jean-Francois Bonnin, who descended from a surviving family of French nobility, known as the house of Maillé.

The Lamoignon family is represented on the dexter (left) side of the coat of arms, with lozenges and an ermine (symbolic of a luxurious winter coat). On the sinister side, the Bonnin family is blazoned with a quartered shield of crosses and nebuly fess (wavy lines). A pair of stags support the robust coat of arms, which is topped by a six-point open crown with a central floret.

Our coat of arms fireback with rampant stags would add a touch of history to any fireplace. Savvy collectors have also been using them as backsplashes above kitchen range tops or incorporating them as wall-mounted architecturals.

The estimated weight of the fireback is 177 lbs.

CONDITION: Very strong antique condition. Fleabites, faded elements, and light oxidation, all commensurate with age and use in a fireplace.