: Colonial Williamsburg will display a selection of 16 bold objects
of Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century American cast-iron - from
stovetop figures to fire backs - at the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller
Folk Art Museum. "Heavy Metal: American Cast Iron" will be open
to the public through December 2004.
Located in the hyphen area between the old and new wings of the
museum, "Heavy Metal" will examine a full-length hollow cast-iron
statue of George Washington originally used as a radiator, an
architectural ornament in the shape of an eagle, a selection of
Virginia-made stove plates, weathervanes depicting an Indian with
a bow and arrow and an Indian with a dog and a Nineteenth Century
fire mark issued by a privately owned fire company to indicate
that a house was protected by fire insurance.
In the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries, iron was processed
into four basic forms: cast iron, wrought iron, sheet iron and
steel. Cast iron was hard, brittle and nonmalleable and required
the force and heat of a blast furnace for its efficient
production.
"Iron, the most common of all metals, was essential to the daily
lives of colonial Americans since it could be used in so many
forms and functions," said John Davis, the pauline and Samuel M.
Clarke curator, senior curator and curator of metals for Colonial
Williamsburg. "Large American furnaces were extremely productive,
turning out tons of cast iron in forms that were often
decorative. We are especially fortunate to be able to display
three important stove plates by iron master Isaac Zane, who was
well known both for his stove and his fire backs."
The George Washington stovetop radiator also is noteworthy. The
presentation of Washington in Eighteenth Century dress beneath a
flowing, classical toga is a clear indication of the heated early
debate regarding the appropriate portrayal of America's founding
father.
While some favored the realism of "contemporary" clothing, others
sought to deify the first president by draping his likeness in
ancient robes. Washington himself preferred more timely garb and
persuaded sculptor Jean Antoine Houdon to portray him in his
Eighteenth Century military uniform for a full-length marble
statue that was erected in the Virginia State Capitol Building in
1796.
The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, on South England
Street across from the Williamsburg Lodge, is open daily from 10
am to 5 pm. Admission is included in any Colonial Williamsburg
admission ticket or by separate one-day or annual museums ticket.
For information, call 757-220-7698.
