What's the difference between fire dogs and andirons?

None. They're two names for the same object, a paired upright that holds logs off the hearth floor. Both words turn up in titles on Sellingantiques, "dogs" in about three quarters and "andirons" in roughly a third, and plenty of listings use both together.

Are fire dogs always sold as a pair?

Usually, yes. "Pair" appears in nearly two thirds of titles, and the free-standing pair on splayed or arched feet is the standard offering. The exceptions are worth knowing. About one listing in ten is a grate or fire basket standing on its own integral andirons, and roughly one in eight bundles the dogs with fire irons, a companion set or a fender.

How old are most antique fire dogs on the market?

The dated field runs from 1750 to 1950. Seventy listings say only "19th Century" and thirty-three only "Victorian", so much of the profile is broad rather than precise. Where decades are given, the 1860s, 1890s, 1880s, 1920s and 1850s come up most. Around thirty-five listings are given as 1900s.

Do 16th and 17th century fire dogs really turn up?

Titles carry a scattering of much earlier claims, including 16th, 17th and 18th century, Georgian and Regency. The earliest dated claim in this archive is a cast-iron andiron carrying the year 1580. Read those centuries carefully, though. Neighbouring titles use the same dates as style descriptions, phrased as "in 17th Century Style" or "C17th-style", so a stated early century in a title isn't the same thing as an early piece.

Which fire dogs sit at the top of the range?

Bronze, ormolu and gilt examples, which make up about one listing in twenty, sit almost entirely in the upper part. The French chenet is the form that reaches highest. Scale pushes the same way, with monumental and inglenook-sized pairs above the middle. Figural modelling and named idioms such as Louis XV, Empire or Baroque cluster up there as well.

How often do fire dogs come up for sale?

About twenty-seven a year come to market on Sellingantiques, from an archive of 268 listings. They've been listed by 104 different dealers, close to one dealer for every two or three listings, so the supply is spread thin across the trade.

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Antique Fire Dogs

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Fire dogs, or andirons, are the paired metal uprights that stand in an open hearth and hold burning logs clear of the floor so air can pass beneath them.