Andirons, have been in use since the Middle Ages, when they were made of wrought iron. At that time wood would have been used for both cooking and heating. It is suggested that originally these items were called end-irons which makes sense since they were irons placed at the ends of the fire.The name andiron is thought to be a grammatical perversion of endiron.
Wrought iron or cast iron supports for logs, which were made in pairs from the 1400's to the 1700's , when coal replaced wood for heating most houses. They were vaguely dog-shaped, with upright stems, usually on two feet, and horizontal ´backs´ running to a hind foot. Most are simple and rustic, but great houses had grander versions in bronze, brass and even silver. Many of these were purely decorative, and were replaced by smaller, humbler versions for actual use.
Fire dogs, otherwise called andirons, have been in use since the Middle Ages, when they were made of wrought iron. Brass came into use for decorating and surmounting them from about 1500, but the stand and the feet remain in iron. Fire dogs made entirely of brass therefore are not genuine, and were probably made in Edwardian times.Brass came into use for decorating and surmounting them from about the 1500's, but the stand and the feet remain in iron.
The end-irons evolved over time from being a plain functional item into being also a decorative item. They were made in many different shapes and sizes and some took the shape of animals. Dogs have been used by humans as a hunting companion for generations, so not surprisingly they were used to decorate the end-irons. Gradually over time the end-iron became known as a fire dog.
Fire dogs made entirely of brass therefore are not genuine, and were probably made in Edwardian times.
