P212 - Fireplace plate with portrait, in cast iron, 19th century, dimensions cm W 49 x H 61

P212 - Fireplace plate decorated with the portrait of General Eugène Cavaignac (1802-1857), in cast iron. The famous General Cavaignac was commander of the Zouaves from 1840 to 1845, Governor of Algeria (1848), and then participated (1848) in the French presidential elections, but was defeated by Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte. Cast iron plates were used, before the advent of refractory bricks, to protect the wall from fire and to improve the efficiency of the fireplace by continuing to emit heat for some time even after the fire was extinguished. 19th century. Dimensions cm W 49 x H 61