Decorative Arts, Mechanical Fan Bellows, Antique, English, 19th Century

Mechanical Fan Bellows English: 19th Century Mahogany and brass 10 inches high, 26 inches long, 8 inches wide $1,300 Mechanical bellows for blowing air on a fire. Originally they were likely used to stoke the burning of coal or peat in a stove made for cooking, or for heating a dwelling. While this bellows will function as an accessory for a wood burning fireplace, it is primarily of interest as a decorative mechanical device. The bellows is of typical form, having a brass wheel in the backside turned by a crank with an ebonized wooden knob. The wheel is connected to a rope-driven fan belt that spins a fan set within the otherwise hollow curved rounded bellows to expel air out of a rectangular opening in the front. The top of the bellows is fitted with shaped sheet brass, close nailed in rows on either side. It has a brass carrying handle and the apparatus rests on a mahogany base with a double lobe-shaped end at the back that has a hole for hanging. Condition: Generally very good with the usual overall wear including some denting and oxidation to brass cover of bellows and warping and restored cracks to wood. In operational condition — will blow air.