Antique English Leather Fire Bucket, City of London, Royal Coat of Arms, 1840

This antique City of London fire bucket, dating to 1840, brings a wonderful piece of English history into your home. In the days before modern fire engines, neighbors formed lines to pass buckets of water from hand to hand, working together to contain a fire and keep it from spreading to nearby homes. Even when they could not save a burning building, these buckets often helped protect surrounding properties and gave families precious time to salvage their belongings. Painted black and lacquered, this example is distinguished by the glorious British Royal Coat of Arms across the front, with its lion and unicorn supporters. While simpler fire buckets often bore only the owner's name, this one was clearly made with particular attention to its appearance.

The black-painted metal rim, original interior pitch lining and surviving decoration speak to its original purpose, while the wonderfully aged surface and scattered losses to the coat of arms give it the character you would hope to find in an authentic early English piece. This no longer has its original carrying strap, which is often the case. These practical objects rarely survive in such good overall condition. I spotted this one high up in a dealer's space on a recent buying trip and knew it was too special not to bring home for you. Plenty of patina and wear as shown, there are a few spots missing on the front embellishment, but oh! what a stunning decorative accent this is. Imagine this beside the fireplace in your living room, adding an unexpected detail to a library, or displayed on an antique chest in an entry. Pieces like this bring personality and a little surprise to a room, especially when mixed with furniture, art, and objects gathered over years of travel and discovery.

• Measures 12" x 9-1/2"h.