Andiron (one of a pair)

Dateca.1790-1815

OriginAmerica, Virginia, Western (probably)

MediumIron

DimensionsOverall: 13 5/8 x 16 3/4 x 7 1/2in. (34.6 x 42.5 x 19.1cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1937-146,1

DescriptionWrought andiron with square sectioned billet bar mortised and riveted into the upright. Splayed, angular legs are formed integrally with the upright, which has incised decoration, a double tulip-shaped top, and a scrolled, front-facing finial.Label TextWith uprights that resemble a pair of stacked tulips with side curls and a scrolled crest, these andirons are distinctly Germanic in design. This, and the fact that they were discovered in the mountainous part of central Virginia in the mid-1930s, suggest they were made in that region, where many Pennsylvania Dutch migrants settled during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.