Fireback
Aetna Furnace
1770–74 · Cast iron · The American Wing
Founded in 1766, Aetna Furnace was located about nineteen miles east of Philadelphia. Not surprisingly, therefore, the imagery on the front of this fireback relates closely to designs carved into furniture and architecture made in Philadelphia at the same date. The firm took its name from the volcanic mountain in Sicily that the ancient Romans believed to be the abode of Vulcan, smith and metalworker to the gods.
- Artist
- Aetna Furnace
- Date
- 1770–74
- Medium
- Cast iron
- Culture
- American
- Department
- The American Wing
- Credit line
- Rogers Fund, 1936
