!!!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.

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Only few objects from the time before the 14%%sup th/%  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 14%%sup th/%  and 15%%sup th/%  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 13%%sup th/% 
/14%%sup th/%  centuries, "Schilter" and 
"Plattner" in the 15%%sup th/%  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.

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In the 16%%sup th/%  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.

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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 18%%sup th/%  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.

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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 20%%sup th/%  century did ornamental ironwork experience a 
revival, resulting from the use of  Steel Cutting.

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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
O. Hover, Das Eisenwerk, 1953; O. Kastner, Eisenkunst im 
Lande ob der Enns, %%sup 2/%1961; idem, Schmiedehandwerk im Barock, 
1971; Steirische Schmiedekunst in der Sammlung des Joanneums, 
exhibition catalogue, Graz 1971; G. Veverka, Das Schlosserhandwerk im 
alten Wien, doctoral thesis, Vienna 1975; Erz und Eisen in der Gruenen 
Mark, exhibition catalogue, Eisenerz 1984; T. Hoefer, Barocke 
Schmiedeeisengitter im Wiener Raum, doctoral thesis, Vienna 1988; 
Metall fuer den Gaumen, exhibition catalogue, Riegersburg 1990; 
Eisenkunstguss der 1. Haelfte des 19. Jahrhunderts aus den 
Sammlungen des Oesterreichischen Museums fuer angewandte Kunst, 
exhibition catalogue, Vienna 1992.


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