Goblet with a cover

A decorative andiron made of gilded bronze, with a rear part in the form of a rectangular beam without the back and bottom wall. The front wall is decorated with a bas-relief decoration with vegetal twigs separated by a mask, and the upper wall is adorned with an openwork decoration with plant twigs. The whole structure is finished at the back with a cube, supported on two legs made of a metal sheet and topped with a small pinnacle in the form of a flame, and decorated with oval rosettes at the front and on the side. The front has the form of a flattened cube, supported on two legs covered with scales, with a semi-circular apron on the front wall and a decoration with a pair of vegetal twigs and rosettes. The upper wall serves as a profiled plinth for a prominent pinnacle in the form of a solid vase with a lid in the form of a flame, in a frame made by a pair of griffins emerging from plant twigs.

Andirons are supports for wood logs which secure the air flow from underneath the logs to keep a fire burning. They have been known since the ancient times when they were made of stone or ceramics. In the Middle Ages, andirons were forged of iron, they were tall and equipped with spit hooks. In the Renaissance, they began to have an additional decorative function and slowly completely changed their purpose in representative rooms, as they no longer served to prepare food. At the same time, their front part was gradually reduced in height until the 18th century. Since the 18th century, when hearths with a grate and ash pit became popular, andirons largely lost their original purpose and were left as an additional element for purely decorative purposes, or for supporting fireplace utensils such as a fire poker or fire tongs.

This andiron is a pair with andiron no. Wil.2758/2.