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The plasterwork of the ceiling is executed with the greatest delicacy-so fine is the work that had the windows not been so tall and given the ceiling so much light it would be extremely difficult to trace the fine swirling lines of the corner designs.
The centrepiece is arranged with radiating heads of corn and little plaques or medallions; cupids representing the arts appear whenever the circle approaches the walls of the room.
A drawing-room upstairs boasts an even finer fireplace and very lovely bow windows, but otherwise the room is devoid of contemporary detail.
The fireplace is marble with the pattern inlaid in contrasting shades off pink, black and grey marble. Here the iron grate is an open one with a half circle under the bars; it is decorated with the 'Anthemon' or honeysuckle ornament on the fireback, and chains of swirling dots and the 'patera' or single flower head in the centre under the grate bars.
The mantelpiece is supported by beautifully proportioned Ionic pilasters with the `vase' on the top. Very lovely, almost transparent marble, has been used for these pilasters which are practically dead white, the same as that used for the background of the inlaid design running along the top. The finely carved detail swag design on the vase gives it the elegance of the finest porcelain, the vase itself is only a few inches high but there is not a faulty line or detail anywhere.
In this example we can see the first wide mantelshelf-a flat slab of marble without a cornice to support it. It will be noted that all the previous examples show that that which we now consider a mantelshelf was but the natural top of an ornamental cornice and frieze-it was not originally conceived as a bracket to hold vases and clocks which has since proved its use.
The influence of sport on society in the second half of the eighteenth century has already been remarked in the fashion for sporting prints and paintings used to decorate the walls of rooms. Calico prints and wallpapers were also decorated with hunting scenes, horse racing, cock-fighting; or shooting and fishing groups, but the actual introduction of the sporting motif as a design for a fireplace is not so common. There is however, a very fine example of a `shooting' fireplace at Grange in Devonshire.
Marble Fireplace with Iron Grate
SADBOROW
c. 1775
