The morning news., 1892-03-30
ART IN IRON WORK.
zEVIE " OF THE EARLY DAYS OF
THE INDUSTRY.

WORK In the Ancient Csthedrals
THAT is Stnl Apprscieted-The Art
n the Early Locksmiths.
From Chambers Journal
amid the increased attention which hes
=, recent years been given to all branches
~ decorative art. that Of the artistic treat.
-,ent OF iron has not escaped notice. The
blacksmith occupied an important position
among the craftsmen of the middle ages.
Tbs insecurity of life and property, which
was one of the chief grievances Of the times
made strength Of material indispensable,
whether TO guard the shrine of saint, or to
protect after more homely fashion the
family chest or Golfer. The strength and
durability of iron led to its use
for these defensive purposes from early
times. But the workman Of the middle ages
was not content to allow strength and ugli-
ness of form to go together, but contrived
70 breathe spirit of beauty into his designs
without sacrificing the use to which the
material was destiued. Thus wrought iron
formed the object of much artistic work,
both in England and abroad. Until coal
came into general use, malleable iron was
produced direct from the ore with charcoal
by continuous working. Sussex was from
early times a chief seat OF the iron Industry.
The earliest positive record of the trade
there is contained in rant made by King
Henry Ill to the town of Lewes in 1866. by
which the inhabitants were empowered to
raise toll for the repair of the town walls
after the battle. Every cartload of iron
destined for sale which came from the
neghboring 'weald' was to pay l penny
toll. and every horse load of iron half that
sum. In 1890 a sum OF money was paid to "a
certain Master Henry of Lewes for the
ironwork TO the monument OF Henry Ill
in Westminster Abbey, which reminds us
that talented smiths were brought often
from long distances for important works.
OLD SAMPLES IN ENGLAND.
In this country, perhaps the Oldest exist
ing works In iron are hinges TO doors,
strengthening bars, handles, escutcheons
lock plates, and the like. Even the nails
sive doors OF the Cathedral OF Notre Dame
de Paris offer a wonderful example OF early
ironwork. Probably designed in the twelfth
century, the doors are nearly concealed
with their decorations Of trees and birds.
dragons, and other grotesque beings.
The door in st. Georges
chapel, Windsor, 10 about of the
same date. The grotesque knocker
on the sanctuary door Of Durham cathedral,
u
a lion, is said to be of the twelfth century.
The hollows for the eyes may have been
formerly filed with crystal or enamel; or.
as it has been suggested, the open eyes may
have been contrived to emit light from
within the church, so as to guide the hap
less being seeking the sanctuary by night to
the welcome haven OF safety.
The door OF the chapter house Of York
cathedral is a good example of the work Of
the thirteenth century. 1t consists OF a
central stem, and several large scrolls with
diminutive leaves branching ouk in all
directions. Some chests in the same cathe-
dral are also finely bound with decorative
hinges. o casionally hinges we're gilt, and
not laid directly on the wood, but on skin or
scarlet felt. These elaborate fastenings,
however, fell into disuse in the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries. when the woodwork of
doors became richly nodded and carved.
door furnished the French
dramatist Sedaine with the subject of an
amusing scene in the play of the "Gagelre
Imprevue," brought out in 1868, in which a
marquis, one of the chief characters, bets
that he will enumerate all the bits of iron,
big and little, which are employed in the
construction of a door-such as lock- screws
nuts. knobs, bars, bolts and SO forth. He
succeeded in naming them all exceut the
y
process of repeatedly forging the iron gave
it great tenacity aud ductility, which
modern iron, except of the finest quality,
does not possess.
ANCIENT IRON WORKING METHODS.
In early times the iron was not actually
made to melt. but was separated out and
formed into lump while in pasty condi-
ton, when it was found to be sufficiently
free from carbon to be malleable without
further processes. 1t was then accordingly
brought under heavy tiIt-hammer
worked by a cog-wheel and driven by
water power. Sheets of water In the Weald
Of Sussex and in Kent owe their existence
TO the manufacture of iron; while other
pools and ponds have been drained and
transformed into hop gardens or
oser beds. Corn mills, too, oftel occupy
the sites where once the din of the
hammers resounded. The iron was eventu-
ally formed into bars by beating under the
hammer, and then worked into the sizes re-
CURED by the smith. When this had been
done the artistic part of his work, such as
Welding, stamping and chiseling still re-
NAMED. In the larger specimens Of ancient
work some parts are additions entirely weld
ed, others are additions fastened at the ends
Dy bands welded across the groundwork.
sheet iron, which had been introduced into
England by the fourteenth century, saved
much labor, and could be elaborately dec
GRATED.
Italy In the middle ages led the way in
metal working as well as in other arts. In
prone, the work then produced has never
been equaled. During the thirteenth and
fourteenth centuries, wrought iron came
into general use for screens, for chapels and
tombs and grills for windows. The screen
nround the tombs of the Scala family at
verona Is composed Of q kind of network of
quaterfoils each filed up with a small lad
aer tscala), in alluslon to the family name.
Several churches in Florence and Siena
nave magnificent screens of wrought iron.
One OF the principal workers of iron of this
period was Niccoio Grossi, who was taken
Gnder the patronage of Lorenzo de Medici
eend esticks, lanterns, cressets, and torch
hearers we're produced in large numbers
all OF the most artistic designs, Grossi ex-
ecuted four lanterns for the Strozzi palaca
Florence, which were set up in the year
loVO; aud each cost 100 florins for
workmanship alone. Another artist in iron
was Cozzarelli, who fiourished at the close
" the fifteenth century al Siena, and dis
nnRuished himself in designing superb lan-
'sfns and torch holders.
IRON PULPIrs IN SPAIN.
Spain also produced about the same period
uueh beautiful ironwork in the shape of
molded rails or balusters and friezes of
pierced and repousse work, the whole being
SS1'eh plated with silver. The use of metal
Ta pnlpits is probably confined to Spain
-usse are sometimes of bronze, but also of
"t9ught iron, as in q church at Zamora,
s1oI suu In that of San Gil at Burgos. Screens