Andiron 1935 - 1942

Hans Korsch rendered this andiron design in graphite and watercolor on paper at an unknown date. The drawing depicts the object as a piece of functional design, yet it also elevates the andiron as a subject worthy of artistic consideration. As an artist, Korsch straddled the line between craftsman and fine artist, and the image asks us to consider the social value we assign to both of those roles. The andiron itself speaks to a particular moment in material culture when homes relied on fireplaces as a central source of heat. As domestic spaces changed, so too did the objects within them, rendering the andiron a relic of a bygone era. To truly understand the social life of this object, we might turn to sources such as historical catalogues, domestic inventories, and even literature to reconstruct the world in which the andiron occupied such a central place. Only through this deeper historical context can we understand the meaning and purpose of Korsch's artistic record of it.