Andirons, Long, Black

Back in the 16th Century, when they first emerged, andirons served a functional purpose in addition to being decorative. Shaped like an ``L,`` they were developed from crude iron bars called ``hand irons`` and were used to lift logs up off the hearth floor to increase air circulation underneath for a more robust fire. So these would be placed inside the fireplace to hold up logs.
(HEA-I14903)