Poort met hekwerk 1737 - 1806

This is a design drawing for an iron gate, likely made in the 18th or 19th century. It is anonymous, as so much metalwork design was at that time. The drawing gives us a sense of the material qualities that would have defined the gate itself. Consider iron: heavy, strong, but also able to be worked into fine detail when heated. The design shows how those properties might be exploited, with robust vertical bars alternating with delicate floral ornamentation. The gate would have been a potent symbol – a marker of property and status, but also a testament to the blacksmith’s skill. The labor involved in such a project would have been considerable. Extracting and processing the ore, transporting it, forging the individual elements, and assembling them. The final product would stand as a material expression of social hierarchy. It reminds us that even seemingly functional objects can carry deep cultural meaning.