English Wrought-Iron Work - Victoria and Albert Museum

Anon

• Publisher: Howard Press
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9781446522257
• eBook ISBN: 9781473380325
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Museum Studies
• Index: Technology & Engineering

This vintage book contains a complete guide to the examples of English wrought-iron work contemporarily held at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. For each piece treated it provides a photograph coupled with notable information, including a short description, date, measurements, etc. "English Wrought-Iron Work - Victoria and Albert Museum" is highly recommended for those with an interest in blacksmithing and decorative metalwork, and it is not to be missed by the discerning collector of allied literature. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially-commissioned new introduction on blacksmithing.

ENGLISH WROUGHT-IRON WORK

THE working of iron was one of the first crafts to be mastered by man. Very little has however survived from the earlier periods of human history, for, if left exposed above ground, objects made of iron oxidise rapidly and disappear without trace within a matter of decades rather than centuries. As a material, iron is too intractable for fine work, and, with the exception of locks and sword hilts subsequently decorated with chiselling, wrought iron objects have rarely been made the vehicle for detailed ornament. The vast majority of the objects made by the blacksmith have been implements intended for use alone, and decorative work in this medium has in England been mainly confined to gates, railings, screens, hinges and locks.

By the latter part of the sixteenth century, the craftsmen in the other metals relied for the most part on printed pattern books for their schemes of ornament. It was not till the latter part of the seventeenth century that the earliest iron-work pattern books, the work of Jean Marot and Jean Berain, were published. The blacksmiths were forced therefore to rely on tradition and workshop practice in devising their designs. These sources were in the long run insufficient, and the arrival of both the French blacksmith Jean Tijou and the French pattern books at about the same time led to a very marked improvement in English wrought ironwork, particularly as regards d...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Contents
• English Wrought-Iron Work