Adding Fuel to the Fire

 

A 19th century mahogany Irish peat bucket on a swivel stand by James Hicks of 5 Lower Pembroke Street, Dublin, 38cm diameter, 80cm height, for auction 15th December. Estimate £300 - £500.

Peat buckets are the unsung heroes of antique furniture: ever functional and often in attractive mahogany with brass bandings, they are a quintessential part of the Georgian home.

So what exactly was their function?  The peat bucket, along with its counterpart the plate bucket, comes from Ireland originally and were designed to sit by the fireplace.  The peat bucket held peat (unsurprisingly) to create fires while the plate buckets would warm plates by the fire before being taken to the kitchen.  

Peat buckets were incredibly useful objects within the household, so ones from the 18th century often show a great deal of wear.