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Anvil 2015-198
"Church Windows" Anvil
Anvil 2015-198

"Church Windows" Anvil

Date1743
OriginEurope
MediumIron and steel
DimensionsOverall: 13 x 16 x 8 3/4in. (33 x 40.6cm, 8 3/4in.)
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number2015-198
DescriptionEarly anvil of classic hornless "church windows" hornless form. It has a single round hardy hole, two front feet and a flat back. Both sides have square lifting holes.
Label TextAnvils of this beautiful form take its nickname from the resemblance of its twin concave faces to an early European church window. Since they were favored by Germanic peoples during the colonial period, it is not surprising that this example turned up in the heart of Pennsylvania "Dutch" country. With many diverse shapes, these ingeniously designed anvils were meant to be flipped over and used on whatever side provided the proper working surface the smith needed. Such anvils are thought to have been popular with armourers, who needed to work their metal into the deeply concave "windows" set below the sloping front plane.
InscribedThe front sloping face is chiseled with a border containing the date "17 * 43."
Exhibition(s)