Schmiedekunst#

Ironwork, Ornamental: the exploitation of Iron deposits in Austria resulted in an early tradition of ornamental ironwork, often of high artistic value ( Industrial Arts). The foremost iron-working regions in Austria are eastern Upper Austria (with Steyr as a centre of the iron industry), upper Styria, the Eisenwurzen region in Lower Austria and the Stubaital valley (Tirol) with Fulpmes.

Only few objects from the time before the 14th century have been preserved (mainly chandeliers and door fittings, e.g. in Puergg, Ottmanach and Grafendorf, chest in Millstatt). Ornamental ironwork became more popular in the 14th and 15th centuries. Iron fittings for doors and cases were often richly ornamented, e.g. with lily or tree-of-life motifs (e.g. vestry doors of the parish church of Bruck an der Mur around 1500, the Buergerspitalskirche church in Krems, the collegiate church in Mondsee, 1470). Special designs were used for the grille clasps of tabernacles (Buergerspitalskirche church in Krems, churches in Heiligenblut, Vordernberg, Maria am Gestade in Vienna, Steyr parish church) and other lattices (parish churches of Eferding and Hall in Tirol). A distinct variety of ornamental ironwork was developed by armourers, called "Bruenner" in the 13th /14th centuries, "Schilter" and "Plattner" in the 15th century. Under Archduke Sigmund of Tirol, Emperor Maximilian I and Archduke Ferdinand II of Tirol, Innsbruck developed into a centre of European armour manufacturing, mainly represented by the Treitz, Seusenhofer, Riederer and Wagner families.

In the 16th century ironwork reached even more outstanding artistic standards. Gunsmiths in Vienna, Ferlach, Graz and Salzburg, for example, artistically cut the gun locks and engraved them with figures and ornaments. Door and chest fittings were also engraved.

In the Baroque period ornamental ironwork was a particularly important element in secular and religious architecture and in garden design (park and corridor grilles, window grilles, border and gallery grilles). Baroque ornamental ironwork was particularly popular in Steyr, the centre of the iron industry. Some of the most renowned Upper Austrian artists were A. F. Lindemayr (1686-1759, border grille of the collegiate church of Spital am Pyhrn), V. Hofmann (grille for the collegiate church of Kremsmuenster, 1727/28) and H. Messner (border grille of the collegiate church of St. Florian, 1698). The rose lattice for the collegiate church of Stams in Tirol was manufactured in 1716. In Vienna, the 9 lattice doors for the Belvedere Palace (A. and K. Kueffner), the Meidling main gate of the park of Schoenbrunn Palace, the grille in the pilgrimage church of Hafnerberg bei Heiligenkreuz (1729-1745), etc. were all manufactured in the 18th century. The master smiths and locksmiths of that period were inspired by pattern books and engravings. In Vienna, the pattern book by F. L. Schmittner (1703-1761) ("Neu inventiertes Schlosser-Reisebuch") was one such example. The "love of iron", characteristic of the grand Austrian Baroque style, found its continuation in the more folkloristic Baroque of the people (large number of sepulchral crosses). An extensive collection, also including every-day ironwork, can be found in the Joanneum museum in Graz.

After 1800 ornamental ironwork was almost completely replaced by cast iron (imperial foundry in Mariazell), which was also used for the manufacture of all kinds of fashion accessories. Only at the beginning of the 20th century did ornamental ironwork experience a revival, resulting from the use of Steel Cutting.

The products of tool makers, hammer smiths, nail smiths, scythe smiths ( Scythes) and cutlers in the traditional centres of iron-working also belong to the category of wrought ironwork. Austrian cutlery, household utensils and alpine equipment in particular became well-known internationally. Recent years have seen a revival of decorative wrought-iron grilles and similar elements used in the construction of houses.

Literature#