Height: 27″
Width: 12″
Depth: 21″
Maker: Marked on base R. Wittingham, probably Richard Whittingham or his son.
Location: Marked on base N. York
Date: 1800 – 1820
Richard Whittingham (1747-1821) and his son Richard Whittingham, Jr. (b.1776) worked as brass founders in New York City. They were listed at different addresses until 1818 when it seems that the son took over his father’s business. It is not clear which of the men used the misspelled stamp but it appears on a significant number of items. Andirons by the Whittinghams are well represented in the Winterthur Collection and documented by Donald Fennimore in Metal Work in Early America. A pair of similar andirons that are slightly shorter and with plain feet is illustrated on page 141.
Consistent with period techniques the brass parts were all cast. The feet and brackets were cast in the solid while the vertical base, column and urn were cast in hollow halves vertically and brazed together. They are held together by an internal rod threaded to receive the urn and peened at the center of the legs. Both have dots stamped on the underside of the base and other markings to facilitate assembly as described by Fennimore, page 143. The initials M H and the numerals 2222 are lightly scratched in the rear of the base of one of the pair and may represent the mark of an apprentice.
Condition: Both andirons are in excellent condition with the expected surface wear. The base of one is slightly compressed at its junction with the column.
sold
