Antique Brass Dressing Gong

"Shall I ring the dinner gong, M'Lady?"

In a Victorian household, mealtimes were taken very seriously. No one screamed through the halls "Come 'n' get it!", instead the butler rang a gong to alert the family and their guests that a meal was ready to be served.

Typically referred to as a dressing gong, it would be rung one hour before dinner was served as a warning for the family and their guests to go upstairs to bathe and dress for dinner. The gong was sounded again when dinner was served; it was also sounded earlier to announce luncheon, but never for breakfast which was self-service and would typically be available for more than two hours. 

As a charming memento of those simpler, yet still quite complicated times, we are pleased to present this delightful antique dressing gong. With a romantic presence, the gong stands confidently on its English Oak base with two twisting brass side columns that meet a gently arched horizontal bar with the natural aesthetic of a tree branch forming the support for the brass gong that hangs at center. Cast in brass as a charming finial at the top of the gong, a Victorian lady wearing a full-skirted garden dress with a bonnet on her head and a basket on her arm, stops to admire a topiary bush. 

With a stature intended more for a city flat than a country manor, this delightful piece is complete with its brass and cork mallet and would have taken pride of place on a fireplace mantel or dining room sideboard cheerfully calling the family to dinner.

Strictly one-of-a-kind and subject to prior sale. Gong measures overall 11.25"H x 11.25" x 4.25". The mallet is 8.5" in length.