18th Century Carved Stone Fountain Dairy Cooler ( sold )
A beautiful and very rare, late 18th century, English Country House carved stone fountain made for cooling the dairy. It is elegant in form, with a bold turned baluster stem, with twisted decoration, topped by a substantial bowl, retaining its original lead spout. In very good condition, as never having been outside, lime washed at some point, internally to the bowl there is an area around the rim that has had a skim of mortar, possibly due to some loss of the face of the stone over the years.
English Country House purpose built dairies of the Georgian period, were generally situated on the North face of a property. It was usual practice to decorate the interior with marble and tile to increase the cooling effect within the dairy. A good airflow was also required, in some, fountains were also used, fed by a spring, they would have a gentle spray of water that helped to keep the air moist and cold and stop the milk from turning. You can find a very similar fountain to this one, but two tiered, at Dyrham Park near Bath, owned by the National trust ( last image ).
Sold
English Country House purpose built dairies of the Georgian period, were generally situated on the North face of a property. It was usual practice to decorate the interior with marble and tile to increase the cooling effect within the dairy. A good airflow was also required, in some, fountains were also used, fed by a spring, they would have a gentle spray of water that helped to keep the air moist and cold and stop the milk from turning. You can find a very similar fountain to this one, but two tiered, at Dyrham Park near Bath, owned by the National trust ( last image ).
Sold
H 36" x W 41" x D 41"
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