TWO COLUMN CAST IRON PARLOR STOVE, Wainright Brothers, Middlebury, Vermont, Circa 1845. It is difficult to be sure when the first of these beautiful and intriguing columnar parlor stoves emerged, as there are few surviving stove catalogues or display advertisements from before the 1850s, by which time the fashion for columnar stoves had passed but by the mid 1830’s parlor stoves with rectangular fireboxes (like those of a box stove) to which two or four vertical flues or columns were added and connected at the top by a horizontal pipe or secondary chamber began to make their appearance. Cast-iron stove making reached its highest artistic achievement and technological advancement in the 1840s. Flask casting and the advent of the cupola furnace permitted more elaborate designs and finer-quality castings. Stove designers borrowed freely from architectural and cabinetmakers design books, a process that resulted in the use of Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Rococo revival motifs, patriotic symbols, and lavish floral designs, all reflecting current taste and sentiment. Rufus and Jonathan Wainwright built a furnace and machine shop on the east side of the Middlebury, Vermont falls in 1827. This stove, which they produced is particularly well-proportioned and pleasing in appearance. This beauty is in excellent condition with high-quality casting. The stove is of Neoclassic design with a floral motif. The legs slide nicely into grooves on the underside of the body and are cabriole in style. At the bottom of the stove, in front, is an apron with a circular vent. It has a swiveling floral insert to control airflow. The fire box still has its original grate and is held together by long rods in the corners which are nicely topped with rosette nuts. The right side has a loading door with its original handle, and swings easily on its pinned hinges. The center panels of the bifold front doors feature feminine figures dressed in knee-length attire. The front doors are not primarily for feeding the fire (that was the role of door in the right-hand side), but for seeing it, something valued in a culture associating the feeling of being warm with the fact of looking at flames and glowing embers. The firebox is marked STANLEYS PATENT NO 2. Atop the firebox are affixed two columns upon which rest a fabulous arched chamber, also decorated with a floral design. Between the pipes is a round plate, to be used for boiling a kettle to humidify the room. When we found this stunner in upstate New York it was rusty, daubed with blue paint, and dirty. It had the ashy remnants of the last fire kindled in it who knows how long ago. We carefully cleaned it then applied a coat of stove black, a vintage finish which was used on these parlor stoves. It is what provides that wonderful, softly gleaming surface. (We will send along a tube of stove black so you can properly care for this stove we recommend that it NOT be painted). Dimensions – Height: 34, Width: 25, Depth: 21.5. It weighs in at 80 lbs. THE FORD MUSEUM, Dearborn, MI and the ALBANY INSTITUTE OF HISTORY AND ART, Albany, Ny have nearly identical stoves. This is a rare and desirable stove. It is still usable and will make a fabulous statement in your parlor or collection. The item “Antique cast iron Columnar PARLOR STOVE, circa 1845, Beautiful” is in sale since Thursday, March 28, 2019. This item is in the category “Antiques\Home & Hearth\Stoves”. The seller is “elijahflame” and is located in Bennington, Vermont. This item can be shipped to United States.
