Horseshoe Andirons
Vintage 1950s Andirons
Iron
Antique 18th Century French Gothic Andirons
Wrought Iron
Antique Late 19th Century American Adirondack More Folk Art
Iron
Antique 1850s American American Empire Andirons
Iron, Wrought Iron
20th Century American Adirondack Andirons
Brass, Wrought Iron
Antique Late 19th Century English Andirons
Steel
Late 20th Century English Andirons
Steel
Late 20th Century English Georgian Andirons
Brass
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Late 20th Century British Trunks and Luggage
Leather
20th Century English Doors and Gates
Brass
Vintage 1970s American Ming Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Raffia, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Brass
Vintage 1970s Belgian Hollywood Regency Table Lamps
Brass
Antique Late 19th Century Spanish Weathervanes
Copper, Iron
Vintage 1980s Burmese Armchairs
Upholstery, Bamboo, Rattan, Wood
Antique Late 19th Century Chinese Qing Furniture
Brass
Antique 18th Century English Rustic Candlesticks
Iron
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Iron
Mid-20th Century Italian Hollywood Regency Candelabras
Metal
Mid-20th Century English Victorian Doors and Gates
Brass
Vintage 1980s American Modern Chairs
Brass
Antique Early 1800s French Fireplace Tools and Chimney Pots
Iron
20th Century Classical Greek Statues
Iron
Vintage 1930s Austrian Art Deco Animal Sculptures
Brass
Recent Sales
Vintage 1940s Andirons
20th Century English Andirons
Wrought Iron, Brass
Antique 18th Century and Earlier English Andirons
Wrought Iron
Antique 18th Century and Earlier French Gothic Andirons
Wrought Iron
Antique 18th Century and Earlier English Andirons
Wrought Iron
Antique 18th Century and Earlier European Andirons
Wrought Iron
Antique Mid-18th Century Belgian Folk Art Andirons
Wrought Iron
Vintage 1940s American Andirons
Iron, Steel
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Andirons
Bronze
Antique 18th Century and Earlier British Andirons
Wrought Iron
Antique 19th Century English Rustic Andirons
Iron
Antique 18th Century and Earlier English Fireplace Tools and Chimney Pots
Iron
Antique 18th Century and Earlier English Fireplace Tools and Chimney Pots
Iron
Vintage 1940s American Arts and Crafts Andirons
Antique 19th Century English Andirons
Brass
Late 20th Century English Georgian Andirons
Brass
Vintage 1950s French Andirons
Iron
20th Century French Andirons
Iron
Antique 19th Century French Andirons
Iron
Early 20th Century American Andirons
Iron
Finding the Right andirons for You
A set of antique or vintage andirons is a staple accessory, part of the fireplace tools you’ll want to collect for keeping a neat and elegant fireplace in your home.
Using andirons in a fireplace elevates the fire, ensuring more air can get to the logs thus keeping a fire burning longer. Andirons also encourage ventilation and may also prevent smoke from working its way into your living room or bedroom.
Think of these accessories as part of an upright metal support system to optimize your fire. Antique andirons are basically u-shaped brackets with a curved end that come in pairs and are largely quite simple in structure, but the design of this household necessity has improved over time. Outwardly decorative andirons have become available since their debut because one should never underestimate the style quotient of an attractive hearth.
Andirons, which earned the nickname “firedogs” given their similarity in form to a pair of upright canines, are believed to be the oldest fireplace furnishings. They have been used broadly since at least the late Iron Age. Before iron became the material of choice, stone andirons did a suitable job of balancing the logs in a fire and adding a sense of symmetry to the hearth. Fire baskets, like the combination of andirons and a grate, afforded an opportunity to layer logs in a fire rather than delicately stacking them on andirons.
Today, andirons can be found in bronze and brass, too, which contrast wonderfully with a mantel carved from dark marble, for example, and add dimension to what might otherwise be a subdued space. And while people aren’t cooking in the fireplace anymore, andirons’ spit hooks offered an opportunity to roast meat or rest the pokers that you typically would’ve kept fireside.
During the Renaissance, andirons became especially ornate and even figurative, taking on human forms as well as marine life such as dolphins. Art Deco–era andirons are particularly exquisite. While the accessories are frequently characterized by rich geometric angles and sculptural curves, attributes that we know of most Art Deco furniture, artisans of the period also looked to what was by then a long tradition of designing andirons in the shape of animals and reptiles.
Adding fashionable antique or vintage andirons will not only improve the quality of a fire but can also elevate your space as well as the fireside experience. Find modern andirons, Art Nouveau andirons and other varieties today on 1stDibs.
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