Model of a Fire Hearth for Steam Engines c. 1840 - 1844

This wooden model, made by Rijkswerf Rotterdam, represents a fire hearth for steam engines, a pivotal element in the machinery of progress. Observe the central wheel. The wheel, as a symbol, predates our modern age, echoing in ancient cultures from the sun-wheels of Bronze Age petroglyphs to the cosmic wheels of Buddhist mandalas. In each, it represents power, cyclical time, and the relentless march of fate. Here, in the belly of the steam engine, the wheel is reborn as a driver of industrial might. The fire hearth’s design, with its grates and contained fire, carries resonances of the hearth as the ancient center of home and community—a potent symbol of warmth and sustenance, here transmuted into a mechanical heart, driving ships and factories. The emotional power of the hearth, once a nurturing symbol, now fuels the industrial revolution. Such symbols demonstrate how cultural memory embeds itself within new forms, transforming and enduring through time.