Antique and Vintage Andirons

When playing with fire, practicality comes before decoration. That's why the primary purpose of andirons, also known as fire dogs, has always been to provide air circulation beneath burning logs in a hearth or fireplace. But the job of these devices is not only to keep one's living area from filling up with smoke—it is also to keep those burning logs from tumbling into that living area and setting it aflame. Prior to the iron age, these important pieces of home hardware were mostly made of chiseled stone or hand-formed pottery. Once smelting technologies began to evolve in ancient Turkey, Egypt, and China, iron became the material of choice. While andirons always had their share of decorative elements, primarily on the finials atop their vertical fronts, which happen to be the points farthest away from flames, the aesthetics of andirons grew in prominence. This growth in the importance of andiron decoration culminated during the Renaissance. Suddenly, andiron uprights, as they are also called, were being fashioned out of bronze in the shapes of human figures or pairs of dolphins—some of these animal and human representations were even gilt with gold. Brass was another favorite material, while enameling was also a popular decorating technique. One characteristic of andirons is that they can be wrought or cast in just about any architectural style without sacrificing their performance and function. Thus, in the 19th century, andirons were produced to reflect Aesthetic Movement, Arts and Crafts, and even Colonial Revival styles. The andirons made by Tiffany during the Art Nouveau period are highly collectible today. Naturally, in the 20th century, during the Art Deco period between World War I and World War II, the design and appearance of andirons also suited their time. For example, wrought-iron Art Deco andirons were often made from pairs of purely geometric shapes, but they could also be designed to resemble mermaids, musicians, snakes, and dogs.