Description:
Set of iron and brass firetools, including andirons, tongs, shovel, andirons, and fender, which descended in the Hoyt family of Deerfield and were once part of the furnishings of the Old Indian House. Mrs. Henry King Hoyt of Deerfield (born Catherine Wells, 1805-1891) gave many old family pieces such as these firetools to Miss C. Alice Baker (1833-1909). The two andirons have large brass ball finials with two molded bands, over baluster-turned uprights, over arched cabriole legs with spurs at the knees and slipper feet; one log stop is missing. The tongs and shovel have the same ball finials; the brass on the tongs extends over the hinge. The bow-shaped wire fender has a molded thin sheet-brass band along the top edge; over eight vertical iron uprights that create seven panels and horizontal iron bars that run the width of the fender; and an intertwined pattern of iron wires. Unattached fenders for the fireplace began to appear in the second half of the 17th century to provide additional protection to floor boards from sparks and falling logs. These wire fireplace fenders were made in large quantities both in England and the United States from the late 18th through the 19th century. Fenders were rarely marked, and there seems little apparent difference between English and America fenders, although the brass wire in this example might indicate an English origin with the "brass wire fenders" advertised in English trade catalogues. Also, a rectangular cross section of the uprights is traditionally thought to be English, and a cylindrical cross section to be American. The least expensive fenders were made entirely of vertical, straight, and parallel wires; anything involving more elaborate wire patterns or use of brass increased the cost.
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https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+69.0318 |
