Mantelpiece from a house on the Hall Quay, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk
The paneling (65.182.1) and chimneypiece (65.182.2) in this room once graced the house of William Crowe, a prosperous merchant and bailiff of Yarmouth in 1594 and 1606. Crowe was a member of the Company of Spanish Merchants, which conducted trade with the Netherlands. His political and business affiliations are in evidence: the company's coat of arms, including a shield with a four-masted ship, is prominently carved above the fireplace; Tudor roses are worked into the chimneypiece; and the paneling is conceived in a Dutch manner, possibly by Dutch craftsmen. As reconfigured in the Museum, the room is quite dark, but in its original position it was brightened by two windows and a decorated plaster ceiling.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
