Fire-dog

An andiron or firedog, fire-dog or fire dog is a bracket support, normally found in pairs, on which logs are laid for burning in an open fireplace, so that air may circulate under the firewood, allowing better burning and less smoke. They generally consist of a tall vertical element at the front, with at least two legs. This stops the logs from rolling out into the room, and may be highly decorative. The other element is one or more low horizontal pieces stretching back and serving to hold the logs off the bottom of the fireplace.

From the 18th century fireplaces increasingly had built-in metal grates to hold the firewood, or the coal now increasingly used, up off the floor and in place, thus largely removing the need for andirons. However they were often still kept, for decorative reasons, and sometimes as a place to rest pokers, tongs and other fire implements.

Iron was the natural material for andirons, but from the Renaissance onwards the front vertical element was increasingly given decorative treatment, and was in a different metal, such as brass, bronze or silver. Sometimes, smaller pairs were placed between the main andirons for smaller fires. These are called "creepers".

They are sometimes called a dog or dog-iron. In older periods andirons were used as a rest for a roasting spit; and sometimes included a cup-shaped top to hold porridge.

Andirons and fire dogs are devices made of metal and (rarely) ceramic which support the firewood. They normally stand upon short legs and are usually connected with an upright guard. The guard keeps the logs in the fireplace as they burn and settle. This guard, which may be of iron, steel, copper, bronze, or silver, may be simple, or elaborately ornamented (often with patterns or heraldic ornaments, such as the fleur-de-lis, with sphinxes, grotesque animals, mythological statuettes, or caryatides supporting heroic figures or emblems). A common decoration in the form of a canine plays on the dual meanings of the word dog (canine and inanimate holder or blocker).

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