Pair of Cast Iron and Wrought Iron Andirons, French Work, circa 1970

This pair of andirons combining cast iron and wrought iron illustrates the technical richness of French decorative ironwork in the 1970s, a period that saw many craftsmen renewing their connection with ancestral metallurgical traditions whilst adapting them to a contemporary formal vocabulary. Cast iron, obtained by pouring into moulds, and wrought iron, shaped at heat under the blacksmith's hammer, complement each other here to form andirons of fine visual bearing and unquestionable robustness.

The union of these two materials — one cast, the other hammered — is characteristic of the finest French ironwork craftsmanship of the twentieth century, inscribed in the long forge tradition inherited from the Middle Ages. Cast iron produces elements of precise form and fine detail, whilst wrought iron brings its characteristic texture, with its slight surface irregularities that testify to the craftsman's hand and give the piece its authenticity.

Both functional and decorative accessories, these cast and wrought iron andirons will enhance the hearth of any fireplace. They harmonise equally well with a traditional interior or a contemporary space in search of a touch of authentic craftsmanship, testifying to the permanence and vitality of French decorative ironwork.