Pair of Small Modernist Cast Iron and Wrought Iron Andirons with Arch Uprights

A compact and characterful pair of modernist andirons, combining cast iron arch-form uprights with a wrought iron base structure of carefully considered geometric design. Though small in scale—standing only 15 centimetres tall—these pieces possess a weight and presence disproportionate to their dimensions, their bold, simple forms asserting themselves with quiet confidence.

Each andiron is dominated by its cast iron upright, formed as an open arch or horseshoe shape—a motif that distils the vocabulary of Romanesque and Gothic architecture into its most elemental form. This primary shape rests upon a low wrought iron base of rectilinear profile, the two materials working in contrast: the smooth, dense cast iron of the arch against the more worked, directional surface of the forged base.

Such small andirons, low and wide in proportion, were typically intended for shallow or low-fronted hearths, where their minimal height was a functional advantage as much as an aesthetic choice. The reductive geometry of the design places these pieces within the broader current of French modernist craft production of the late 1930s and 1940s, when functional objects were increasingly conceived with architectural simplicity.

A charming and well-preserved pair whose modest scale belies the sureness of their design. Ideal for a small hearth, a study fireplace, or as distinctive decorative objects in their own right.