Kent Insurance Company Painted Copper Fire Mark c1850

Description

Heading : Kent Insurance Company painted Copper fire mark c1850
Date : c1850
Period : Victoria
Origin : Kent. England
Decoration : Original paint and gilding
Size :  21cm high 17cm wide
Condition : Losses to paint & gilding
Restoration : None
Weight :  81g

Before the advent of a national fire service. insurance companies retained their own fire fighting crews and installed plaques onto insured properties to guide their fire crew to the correct building (as if smoke and flames weren’t enough!). Originally cast from lead. which has a low melting point. the plaques were replaced in the nineteenth century by pressed copper versions.

This example from the Kent Insurance Company is rare in that it retains much of it’s original paint and gilding. Pressed from one sheet of copper. the high relief Invicta horse almost leaps out at you. What appear to be cracks in the metal are actually manufacturing folds.  The original patinated condition make this not only a highly collectable example. but a very attractive piece of wall art for any Kentish home or shop on the Pantiles ?