Tiled Arched Keystone Fireplace and Hearth

[LadyArowana]

Joe has 6 scratched lines near his base. Does anyone know what these relate to? Counting? Something a prisoner might have done or is that too fanciful?

I showed "Joe" to my friend, but there wasn't really anything that she could add, she hadn't seen anything the same, so my guess is still that he was a "work in progress" that the artist never completely finished. He is a wonderful treasure though.

 

[Gareth Hughes]

I wouldn't say it was too incomplete to do anything with, you have the bottom half surviving more or less intact, and a bit of research or educated guesswork could recreate the missing top parts. It looks as if there was a low-level shelf supported on two brackets, and the mantel proper would have been supported on blocks above the console legs on either side.

 

[LadyArowana]

This is up for auction not far away ( Wandsworth ) on Monday, has a very reasonable estimate.

http://www.criterionauctioneers.com...3ZXImYXNjZGVzYz1kZXNjJmluZGV4bG93ZXI9MTA4MA==