RARE 18th C ANTIQUE ENGLISH FRENCH WROUGHT IRON DOOR GRILLE EARLY BLACKSMITH. Iron door grilles were made to be placed on the interior of a large and thick door for the purpose of allowing the person inside to examine the person(s) knocking at the door. The grille frame would serve both to slightly obscure the interior users face while they viewed who was trying to enter while also preventing anything from being entered into the household or building (such as a weapon). The space for the door grille had to be large enough to view the persons outside but small enough to prevent someone from trying to stick a hand/arm in the opening as well. The grille was all blacksmith made, hand wrought and features a rarer style that the piece could be opened via the swing gate latch in case the person in the interior chose to talk to the enterer more’face to face’. This swinging of the face of the piece allowed by its placement on two iron pivot areas (see images). Smaller examples of almost identical style in craftsmanship can be seen in the book “Old French Ironwork” a scarce book in itself published decades ago. In the volume you can see a smaller version to which we’ve included a reference that shows very similiar styling to the corner work designs and center patterns. The aforementioned example being quoted as French or English in original origin. If you have traveled to Europe and viewed the wooden doors that adorn churches, public and private houses you’ll have noted the exterior entrance doors of the period are often thick oak or hardwood in nature and adorned with iron nails on the exterior. The stronghold of a home or building was invested in it’s front entrance. This piece being hammered into the interior retains five of its original six long wrought iron’rose head’ nails, each being 3 1/4 in length and a testimate to the thickness of the door it was originally placed into. The patterns to the grille are marvelous! The center being almost as if a gothic stained glass window. Wrought iron work is truly amazing throughout the piece with the blacksmith hammering the individual elements together to create a masterful work or original iron work. The overall frame dimensions of the piece measures 14 3/8″ x 10 3/4; additionally with the nails being taken into account it is 3 1/2″ deep with the addition of the handle swing latch being another 1 1/2. Weight of the piece itself is 7lbs 2oz. The piece exhibits some expected pitting and oxidation from age. Is lacking one of the six original spikes, though five are present (in itself a rare find to have so many). A very very scarce example of antique original blacksmith made decorative ironwork that is truly of Museum Quality. Get images that make Supersized seem small. Tailor your auctions with Auctiva’s. Track Page Views With. Auctiva’s FREE Counter. The item “RARE 18th C ANTIQUE ENGLISH FRENCH WROUGHT IRON DOOR GRILLE EARLY BLACKSMITH” is in sale since Sunday, March 31, 2019. This item is in the category “Antiques\Decorative Arts\Metalware”. The seller is “foxrun-farms” and is located in Jamesville, New York. This item can be shipped to North, South, or Latin America, all countries in Europe, Japan, Australia.
