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The Iron Forge A small rectangular shape of pure light is the visual center of this composition, around which all action occurs. A bending man, with his back to the viewer, holds the glowing bar on top of an anvil. His leather apron drapes in front of him, and his leather boots tie at the knee. A tall man with his arms folded across his chest stands in the center middle ground. A strong reflected light defines his features and muscular physique. He wears a white shirt with a red striped vest and brown leather apron. His capped and tilted head glances to his left. Cast in reflected light, three female figures of various ages stand on the right. Within the group, the central woman - her back to the viewer - has her hair up in a bun and holds a young child. Her brown shawl lightly drapes around her neck to reveal the falling shoulder of her golden dress. To her right, an adolescent girl holds the woman's waist and looks in the direction of the viewer. Her blue overskirt is drawn up to reveal a patterned slip beneath. She wears white stockings and simple black shoes. On the left, a man sits with his back to the viewer. His head bent, he holds his hand up to his eyes while looking in the direction of the glowing bar. A young child clings to his right leg. The room's interior is of rough construction. A thick wooden beam above the figures creates a strong horizontal plane. Wooden roof slates form a diagonal emphasis, catching reflected light. The walls and floor of the structure appear to be made of cut stone, their textures and colors catching and reflecting light. A vertical column of brickwork appears on the far left. A large hammer creates a strong diagonal line above the glowing bar. Immediately behind, a large round wooden barrel shaped structure is horizontal to the picture plane. The cast light defines both shapes as well as their component parts. Background This strongly lit composition creates a sense of drama and heroics in the workings of a rustic iron forge. Centered around a water-wheel driven tilt hammer, this scene displays the power of the material (iron) and the power of those who work it. All this part of the country is very agreeably pleasant, wholesome and fruitful…and is accordingly overspread with good towns, gentlemen’s houses, populous villages…and the lands well cultivated…south is exceedingly grown with timber, has an abundance of waste…with many large ironworks, at which they cast great quantities of iron cauldrons, chimney-backs, furnaces, retorts, boiling pots, and all such necessary things of iron – besides iron cannon, and cannon ball etc., in an infinite quantity, and which turn to very great account; tho’ at the same time the works are prodigiously expensive, and the quantity of wood they consume is exceedingly great… When ye workmen hear the bell each moulder from the various rooms runs with a ladle to catch a due quantity of metal and takes it to his mould which he fills with it – a mould is always to be filled at one pouring, if one man’s ladle will not hold enough at a time, a large one is brought, carried by two or more persons and if a very large casting, the metal is run into a large pot and both hoisted and carried to the mould by a crane. In Vulcan’s Forge; Venus…
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