Firewood container

In the 18th century rococo interiors all details were carefully thought out and arranged. In royal and aristocratic residences or palaces everything was governed by uniform aesthetic principles, from architectural art through furniture to small objects and utensils. Both in refined salons and in the privacy of intimate boudoirs, this rule was not only a welcome sign of superior taste, but also a fashion dictate. Among the accessories of practical importance were utensils for cookers and fireplaces, essential in the winter of the European climate. Ordinary tools of the trade were removed from the exquisite flats by servants after their functions had been served. In the interiors, artistically made equipment was left to serve the fire that was roaring in the fireplace, where social life was concentrated. These included shield screens, andirons, bellows for stoking the flames, tongs, and dustpans and brooms hung on decorative stands. Among them, there could be no shortage of containers for the wood added to the fire. They were matched with the aesthetics of the interior. This gilded openwork basket-like box, decorated with carved rocaille typical of the Rococo style, may serve as an example. Teresa Bagińska-Żurawska https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9243-3967