Lead Cistern, Dated 1653
A Lead Cistern Dated 1653
English, Commonwealth Period
Height: 75cm Width: 94cm Depth: 69cm
A rare early example, cast in lead and arranged in a grid of square panels, this mid 17th century cistern bears the date 1653, flanked by symbolic motifs and a repeated inscription, TVTVTV.
The cistern was created during the Commonwealth period, a brief and extraordinary interlude in British history when the monarchy was overthrown and Oliver Cromwell governed the realm. A very similar example, dated 1666 and similarly panelled, survives at 10 Downing Street, where it sits in the formal gardens.
The star-like forms flanking the date are almost certainly protective in nature. Known as hexfoils, daisy wheels, these traditional talismanic symbols were thought to guard against illness, misfortune and malevolent sprits. Rare in leadwork, only one other known example is illustrated in Lawrence Weaver's book, English Leadwork, dated 1685 and flanked with the same symbols.
The Downing Street cistern, like the present example, demonstrates how these vessels once graced the gardens and courtyards of the country's most important houses.
Literature: Weaver, Lawrence, English Leadwork: Its Art and History. London: B.T Batsford, 1909 (p.76, fig. 144).
English, Commonwealth Period
Height: 75cm Width: 94cm Depth: 69cm
A rare early example, cast in lead and arranged in a grid of square panels, this mid 17th century cistern bears the date 1653, flanked by symbolic motifs and a repeated inscription, TVTVTV.
The cistern was created during the Commonwealth period, a brief and extraordinary interlude in British history when the monarchy was overthrown and Oliver Cromwell governed the realm. A very similar example, dated 1666 and similarly panelled, survives at 10 Downing Street, where it sits in the formal gardens.
The star-like forms flanking the date are almost certainly protective in nature. Known as hexfoils, daisy wheels, these traditional talismanic symbols were thought to guard against illness, misfortune and malevolent sprits. Rare in leadwork, only one other known example is illustrated in Lawrence Weaver's book, English Leadwork, dated 1685 and flanked with the same symbols.
The Downing Street cistern, like the present example, demonstrates how these vessels once graced the gardens and courtyards of the country's most important houses.
Literature: Weaver, Lawrence, English Leadwork: Its Art and History. London: B.T Batsford, 1909 (p.76, fig. 144).
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