Object number
82/31
Title
Making the Gate,
Creator
Description
A framed print of a line engraving by Stanley Anderson, entitled 'Making the Gate'.The print shows a blacksmith at work in his forge making a gate, and bears the inscription 'By the fierce red light of his furnace bright // The strokes of his hammer rung. Mackay'. The blacksmith and farrier Rupert Timms is depicting at his forge in Thame. It a limited edition of 70 prints. The image was exhibited at a Royal Academy Show.
Physical description
1 print: paper & ink, mounted and framed; good condition
Label Text
10. Making the Gate. The craft of the blacksmith existed in England a long time before the Romans came. Iron was attributed with magical properties and was held in high esteem as a valuable metal. Wrought iron is the basic material for hand forging and its properties enable it to be shaped while hot by the blacksmith's hammers. Although it is not easy to find a blacksmith at work nowadays, the skill is alive and well and it is still possible to learn how to work with iron. This line engraving by Stanley Anderson records the wrought iron worker making a gate. The scene is almost identical to that in the previous photograph and it is interesting to compare the two types of record. A strip of iron, held by tongs, is being formed into a scroll and the bender can be seen sitting in the hardy hole. Other details in the forge are shown accurately including the farrier's box of tools and the tripod stand used to help support a horses foot during shoeing. The boy, watching in the background, is holding a blacksmith made iron hoop. Stanley Anderson was active in the 1920s and 1930s. 82/31.
Archival history
MERL 'Handwritten accession' form (Institute of Agricultural History) – 'Recorder: DJE // Date: 20.10.82 // Description: Line engraving showing a smith making a gate. // 15.5 x 20 cm // MAKING THE GATE // Dimensions: Frame 53.2 cms x 43.4 cms // Associated information: By Stanley Anderson. // Limited edition Ed:70’, See article entitled 'Stanley Anderson' by R. J. E. Inglis in 'Tools & Trades: The 25th Anniversary Collection 1983-2008' (Extracts from the journals and newsletters of the Tools and Trades History Society (TATHS)) pp.101-114, originally published in 'Tools & Trades' Volume 6 in 1990. A copy of the article can be found in the accession file for 82/31.
Production place
Towersey
Production date
1949 - 1949
Object name
Material
Technique
Dimensions
- Height 200 mm
- Width 155 mm
Associated subject
