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Stove Plate Rendered by American 20th Century black and white photograph, 45.7 x 35.7 cm (18 x 14 1/16 in.) Index of American Design 1943.8.16762 |
Object 2 of 17
Iron plantations, and later foundries, established great furnaces for casting iron products. The casting process included carving a wooden model of the object to be cast. The wooden pattern was then pressed into a bed of sand so that a relief of the form remained. Molten iron, poured into the sand mold and allowed to cool, resulted in the cast iron product. The stove plate shown here was produced in this manner. The five-plate, or jamb, stove was introduced by German immigrants in the late eighteenth century. It was cube-shaped with five sides, or plates, of cast iron and the sixth side opening into the wall. This stove plate is Pennsylvania German. Dated 1763, it was made at the furnace of George Stevenson whose name appears on its face. The flowers and heart are typical of Pennsylvania German decoration. An architectural motif of twisted columns and arches divides the space into areas which frame tulips and a heart.
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