White Wrought Iron

Dec 15 2009 Published by Renée Benzaim under wrought iron

A touch of elegance. . .

wrought iron

White Wrought Iron Bakers Rack

Have you ever thought about decorating your home with white wrought iron? Most people, when they think about wrought iron, envision the black designs, which are beautiful, but there are many beautiful white pieces as well.  For instance, a white wrought iron étagère or baker’s rack make delightful plant stands, especially if you have the kind of plants that drape down gracefully from their pots, and you have put your plants in colorful, hand-painted decorative pottery.

A touch of Tuscan. . .

If you like the look of Italian wrought iron designs, you will be able to find many lovely planters painted in the Tuscany manner. A small ceramic diffuser for essential oils would fit nicely among the plants and you could enjoy the fragrance of your favorite essential oil all day.

A special place for sleep. . .

wrought iron

Wrought Iron Henna Lamp

Another nice place for white wrought iron is the bedroom. An antique wrought iron bed painted white, topped by a fluffy goose down comforter, and lots of delicate, lace-trimmed pillows would be exquisite. The ambiance of the room would be so serene and restful and would be a big benefit to your peace of mind.

Colorful lamps by your bed would be both elegant and useful. We have lamps here in Morocco that are very different. Treated goatskin is strethed over the wrought iron frame and hand-painted with Henna.

And a quiet corner just for you. . .

If you have a little space in your front room or bedroom for a white wrought iron daybed you could create your own personal retreat to repose, meditate, listen to your favorite music, or read. This would also add a special and unique touch to your home.

Your thoughts. . .

How would you use white wrought iron designs to bring a special ambiance to your home? Leave your comments below. . .

Click here “I love wrought iron!” to buy beautiful wrought iron designs for YOUR life!

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Antique Italian Wrought Iron Designs

Oct 27 2009 Published by Renée Benzaim under antique italian wrought iron

The Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the wrought iron designs in Italy, France, and Germany showed the limitations of all true decorative art due to the difficulty of working wrought iron by hand.  This difficulty limited what could be done in the way of design and execution.

During the design phase of a project, the designer had to keep these limitations, such as a lack of machinery to help execute the piece, in mind.

The smithy was limited also by his skills.  The tell-tale marks of the smith’s work were inevitable.   However, this added to the charm of the pieces and made each one distinct.

Reproductions

High quality reproductions followed.  In fact, some of the following photographs are of reproductions and others are of original works.  It’s virtually impossible to tell the difference in the photographs.

The next-best thing to having the original wrought iron designs is to have excellent reproductions, made the old-fashioned way, instead of pieces mass-produced on machines.

Lanterns and Torch Holders

This article features lanterns and torch holders but, in reality, the lanterns could also be called torch holders as they were designed to hold combustible material which was held in place by the central spike.

The lanterns that decorate the Strozzi Palace in Florence are the finest examples of Italian antique wrought iron work still existing, and have frequently served as models for lanterns in recent times.  Similar lanterns were attached to the angles of the Riccardi Palace, the former residence of the Medici in Florence.

wrought iron

Lantern, Strozzi Palace in Florence


Nicolo Grosso Caparra - il Caparra

These “lumière miravigliosi” were believed to be the work of Nicolo Grosso Caparra, known as il Caparra, a celebrated artist of his time, who is believed to have executed many of the beautiful rings and cressets which still decorate the old palaces of Siena. His method was to afix a little iron barrel on the center spike, which contained the tow and pitch.  The torches were then attached to the other spikes.

wrought iron

Torch Holder, Siena

In some old engravings of night-time festivities by the Grand Dukes of Tuscany, the beauty of the light cast by this  type of  lantern is evident.

Click here “I love wrought iron!” to buy beautiful wrought iron designs for YOUR life!

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