Firedog, one of a pair

George Jack was an integral figure in the British Arts and Crafts movement. From about 1890, he was chief furniture designer for William Morris' Morris and Co. and in 1880 began working in the office of architect and designer Philip Webb. Both Morris and Webb were strong proponents of a move away from industrialization and back to the handmade tradition in objects for the home. Jack's design for these firedogs, meant to hold fire tools on their protruding brackets, are an excellent example of the whimsy inherent in English Arts and Crafts, with their simplified design featuring a pair of stylized owls.