Studio: international art (14.1898)

Cast-Iron Work

FIG. 4.—CAST-IRON FIREPLACE

DESIGNED BY C. R. ASHBEE

the little applied rosettes on the curved iron-work,
the panels in the grate, the lower portion of the
grate, and the raised rosettes on the casting can
be either in hammered brass or copper, or in
iron; probably in this case, as the weight of the
whole is somewhat considerable, the bright metal
would relieve it. In No. 5 the hood is again an
alternation between the hammered metal and
cast-iron, and in No. 6 the circular mirror to be
contained over the little mantel-shelf would for
choice be in a hammered metal form, though this
is not an essential.

From the point of view of the relation of the
design to its material the six different pieces
explain themselves. I have kept all the forms
fairly soft and indefinite, avoiding all sharp lines
that might suggest an origin in carving or wood-
work, and based my design rather upon, let us
say, the lead casting of the Adams period, with-
out in any way slavishly copying. In order next
to give a variety of colour on the surface of the
casting, I have found it advisable to adopt a
varying treatment of the plain surface of the iron

in several instances. In No. 4, for instance, the
surface is reeded vertically and diagonally, in
No. 5 there is criss-cross work, with little balls at
the centre of the crosses, which gives a pleasing
appearance. In No. 1 the upper portion is
treated merely with the pressure of the finger on
the clay of the original model, the motive being
a cluster of little bats hanging under the mantel-
shelf with a suggestion of webs falling from their
wings. Throughout, the principal thing to con-
sider in the design was so to fashion it that it
should be easily constructible in the metal, that
all undercutting should be avoided, and that due
regard should be taken for the draw-off. Within
these limitations the designs have been kept
severely reserved, perfectly simple flower, animal,
and—used with great caution—figure motives are
each in their way employed.

There is nothing in modern commerce that
has so been allowed to run riot in the applica-
tion to it of forms of design as cast-iron work,
and it has appeared so far to be an impossible
conception to the commercial mind that cast-
iron should be anything else but over-decorated.
Classic, Mediaeval, and Renaissance forms have
therefore been used ad nauseam in every piece of

FIG. 5-—CAST-IRON FIREPLACE

DESIGNED BY C. R. ASHBEE

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