A very rare Regency Cannel Coal Urn with a reversible candlestick in the lid, marked on the foot with a tin label of the maker: 'W Malpas'
A very rare Regency Cannel Coal Urn with a reversible candlestick in
the lid, marked on the foot with a tin label of the maker: 'W Malpas'
Circa 1810-1820
Size: 28cm high x 18cm wide
the lid, marked on the foot with a tin label of the maker: 'W Malpas'
Circa 1810-1820
Size: 28cm high x 18cm wide
Sometimes called candle coal, cannel coal is a sapropelic coal composed
largely of finely disintegrated plant debris. It was formed in stagnant
water and is rich in spore resin bodies and leaf cuticle. It is found
in the mines of Newcastle and Scotland and was used for carving objects
and for the veneer of furniture. It does not take such a high polish as
jet so was not used in the making of jewellery but it does not fracture
as easily as jet so large objects could be made from it. However, due
to its lustrous black sheen it is often mistaken for jet.
In the late 18th and early 19th Century Robert Town of Wigan was
renowned for his figures carved from cannel coal and some examples of
his work are in the British Museum. In Whitby the jet workers sometimes
used cannel coal for commissioned larger sculptures which as this urn
vase.
largely of finely disintegrated plant debris. It was formed in stagnant
water and is rich in spore resin bodies and leaf cuticle. It is found
in the mines of Newcastle and Scotland and was used for carving objects
and for the veneer of furniture. It does not take such a high polish as
jet so was not used in the making of jewellery but it does not fracture
as easily as jet so large objects could be made from it. However, due
to its lustrous black sheen it is often mistaken for jet.
In the late 18th and early 19th Century Robert Town of Wigan was
renowned for his figures carved from cannel coal and some examples of
his work are in the British Museum. In Whitby the jet workers sometimes
used cannel coal for commissioned larger sculptures which as this urn
vase.
A very rare Regency Cannel Coal Urn with a reversible candlestick in the lid, marked on the foot with a tin label of the maker: 'W Malpas'
SOLD
