THE Greatest difficulty in presenting this review was deciding which images to use from the thousand plus choices. All are beautiful and of top quality work. The range of work covered includes classical architectural fences and gates to modern sculpture and restoration work. The amazing thing is that this is all the work of living master artist blacksmiths from Italy alone. I had no idea Italy had such depth in the field of wrought iron work.

This book is in fact a portfolio of sixtyfour Italian Master Smiths. Every photo is a professional catalog or portfolio quality image of work that is outstanding. The images are rich with details to inspire architects, decorators and other smiths. There are numerous pages showing how something is forged step by step. These are not detailed forging instructions but are designed to educate those unfamiliar with the the processes of forged ironwork and how it gets from a plain lump of iron to a work of art. Other than the supplement the entire book is in Italian except the biographies of the artists, which are in both Itialian and English. Being a book primarily of beautiful images there is no language barrier. Click the images for details. The pop-up windows are resizable.

Slab (fire back) from fireplace, forged sheet thickness 12 mm. By Artistica Ferro, inspired from the DEVOUT letter M Erte'.

Drawing by Simon Benetton. Screen with horses.

Besides photographs there are also original design drawings of many of the pieces. In most cases the drawings are by the artist blacksmith but often they are by other artist designers. The result is that you can see the difference between concept and realization. It also hints at the creative process and how these wonderfully creative works come to life. There are many drawings by Simon Benetton as well as other great Italian artists. Many use color to give a feeling to the work that a line work drawing would not have otherwise.

Dragon ring device by Tiziano Matteazzi for XVI Century villa. Click for complete details from pages 210 - 211.

Lion Head device by Bruno Corriani on fireplace andirons. Click for more details from pages 28 - 29.

Reproduction lock I have included this sample due to recent interest in our article on the ABANA masterpiece lock and our iForge series on Locks and Keys. Click for complete details from pages 429 - 431.

SOMMARIO (30 sections)	Summary (Table of Contents)
prefazione di simon benetton	Preface by Simon Benetton
saggio introduttivo di tito perlotto	Introduction by Titi Perlotto
alari - attrezzi - piastre - ceste per camino	andirons - tools - firebacks - log racks
arredare con il ferro battuto	Wrought iron furniture
arredare il verde	Garden furniture
art funeraria	Funery art
arte sacra	Religious art
balconi c parapetti	Balconies and parapets
Sacred (religious) Art	Signs and Insignias
cancellate e recinzioni	Fences and gates
cancelli carrai e pedonali	Privacy Gates
disegni - schizzi - idee - progetti	Designs - sketches - ideas - plans
i progetti di simon benetton scoltore in treviso	The plans of Simon Benetton, Treviso sculptor
dal progetto alla realizzazione	From the plan to the realization
elementi strutturali architettonici in ferro	Architectural structural elements in iron
ferri per porte - cardini - pincchiotti - maniglie - cerniere	Irons for doors - hinges - knockers - handles
fiori e piante	Flowers and plants
grate e inferriate	Grates and guards
insegne - icone - stemmi - banderuole	Signs - standards - coats of arms - banners
Sculptural Details	European architectural details
lampade - fanali - appliques	Lamps - Chandeliers - sconce
letti	Beds
pannelli divisori	Dividing panels (Screens)
porte e portoncini	Doors
pensiline	Canopy or awning
porta ceri	Candle Stands
introduzione a restauro del ferro forgiato	Introduction to restoration of forged iron
ringhiere per scale	Stair railings
sculture forgiate	Forged Sculpture
sculture in lamiera sbalzata	Sculptures in hurled sheet
il ferro battuto al centro europeo di venezia	Wrought Iron at the European Center of Venice
biografie degli artisti	Biographies of the artists (Italian and English)

Price: $140 US
ISBN 88-8125-216-3