18th Century Hand-Forged Fireplace Andiron Set

18th Century Hand-Forged Fireplace Andiron Set is a truly unusual find!  We speculate from experience that it was either produced for the actual maker's purposes, or custom ordered for a particular client because of the unique features we've not seen combined before.  At first glance, one notices that the andirons are identical except for the treatment of the top.  One has a shepherd's staff hook design, and the other a more typical potholder design.  The potholder has been mounted on a rivet so it can freely turn on its axis, which would be desirable to rotate a vessel for even heating.  Used for supporting a vessel to keep water or soups warm during the winter, the potholder could also hold a candle during the summertime so that light would still emanate from the fireplace even during warm months.  The shepherd's hook design was great for hanging items for similar purposes ~ to keep them warm next to the fire.  Another contrivance to accomplish a similar task was the series of graduated hooks going down the main shaft of each andiron, upon which iron bars could be spanned to create a rack.  The height would be adjusted according to one's requirement for temperature relative to the fire.  Here's where it gets more interesting:  The hooks are mounted with loops, all forged from iron of course, so that they can be swiveled and face the fire to be closer or further away as needed.  Lastly, the cross bar itself also serves double duty as a branding iron!
Unique!
Circa 1750s
Tallest andiron is 34H x 8.5W x 24.5D; maximum width with crossbar in place is 34W for the set.
Crossbar (branding iron) measures 28.5" long.