2-746-406 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Tripod Brazier, c. 1400-1450. Metal braziers were filled with hot coals and used to heat rooms. Similar braziers are often depicted in 15th-century paintings and frescoes, shown in use in childbirth scenes and in hospitals, infirmaries, and sick rooms. This brazier consists of a detachable coal pan and an ornate tripod stand. Such objects must have been considered necessary furnishings and therefore subject to decoration. They were portable and could be moved from room to room as needed.