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Spanish ironwork produced in Castile and Andalucia developed in an entirely different way due to the influence of the Moorish artists in the area. Besides being influenced by their designs, the Spanish blacksmiths were also influenced by their work in other metals. The Arab influences, it seemed, played the most important role in the design of Spanish ironwork of this area.

The Saracens, Muslims who lived on the edges of the Roman Empire, didn’t bring with them structural architecture because they lived in the deserts. When they left Syria and Arabia and arrived in Spain they did bring with them the intricacies of their ornamentation.

So, while they didn’t help establish architectural structures themselves, their ornamentation was said to be structural. In fact, their ornamentation was so different from the usual ideas presented by the Arabs. Instead of being made up of graceful, natural forms it had geometric patterns that were combined logically.

This geometric form of Moorish influence on Spanish ironwork remained evident until after the Reconquest. Its staying power is due in part to the fact that Spaniards and Moors worked side-by-side when designing and building Christian buildings. It was inevitable that the two peoples would teach one another; the Moors, it seemed, had much more to teach the Spaniards.

Spanish Ironworks Moorish Influence

Later, the Moorish and Gothic art forms blended together to form Mudéjar. This art form has geometric forms as their basis, and was considered to be harmonious. Mudéjar was not a new architectural style; it was merely a blending of these types of art forms together with whatever structure that was being built at the time.

Spain was not the only European country to be influenced by these Asiatic art styles. In some ways Italy, France, and England were affected. These influences were not direct, as they were in Spain, but more because of a concerted effort by their princes to modify the civilization by cultivating Eastern ideas.

Saracenic art and architecture then followed the trade routes into Western Europe where it landed in Venice. From there its influence reached into the rest of Italy and the other countries. You may see early Italian ironwork examples in Venice and those examples followed the pierced marble screens seen in Saracenic art.

Arabs didn’t use iron very often when building or ornamenting the structures. When they did, however, instead of using the methods of the blacksmith, they treated the iron like it was a precious metal. They used file, saw, drill, and vice.

Use of iron became more popular as a decorative architectural feature when it was used as door hardware,
knockers, and escutcheons. The art form was also used as a window screen by placing an iron grille or reja over the windows. Before long balconies became an architectural feature that was common in Spain. Candelabras were made of Spanish ironwork as well as railings surrounding tombs. It wasn’t long before entire pulpits were made out of wrought ironwork. These are some of the types of ironwork that were completed using Mudéjar.

Interested in reading more? Pick up this book! Wrought Iron in Architecture:

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As much of the early history of Spanish ironworks as possible was explained in the previous article. The next major influence on Spanish ironworks was France. Until this point, there was no particular architectural style to Spanish decorative ironwork.

Rejeria, which is the process or art of making iron screens or grilles, was heavily influenced by the pre-Romanesque and Romanesque periods. These architectural styles were introduced from France beginning around 800 A.D. and continued until the Renaissance period.

The Spanish iron story had been lost for the most part until this French influenced architectural period was firmly rooted in Spain. Prior to this time the Visigoths and Moors had conquered and occupied the country. After they were able to retake their land, the Spanish people began building churches as a way of expressing their gratitude.

Since Spanish kings had been taking French wives, it was quite common for the Queens to bring with them their own clergy. This included a group of monks who built Spanish churches in the Romanesque styles seen in France.

The Romanesque style used quite a bit of ironwork, particularly in Pyrenean and Cantabrian provinces, because iron was so plentiful in that area. The Benedictine monks gave the
the task of creating reja, or decorative iron screens, to protect the altar treasures held within the churches.

The motif the blacksmiths created was based on the vines that had been used so often in Greek and Roman art. This type of motif was easy for the early blacksmiths to make because the bar of iron could be easily bent into the scroll. The anvil was even shaped so pounding the red-hot metal would produce the scrolls easily.

As the blacksmiths honed their craft, they began creating other types of elements which can still be seen in cathedrals throughout Spain and Europe. They showed variety in their design including loosely wound scrolls while others depict filigree work.

Many of the Spanish ironwork pieces of this period have been sold over the years. They may not be evident in Spain at all today if it had not been for a bishop who gathered up small iron objects and placed them in the Episcopal Museum of Vich. Besides having ironwork from the thirteenth century, the museum also holds sculpture, embroidery, and paintings of the Catalonian region.

The ironwork produced in the northern provinces around Ebro changed to meet the influences of the countries that had contact with the blacksmiths of the time. As you’ll see, Spanish ironwork being produced in Castile and Andalucia developed in an entirely different way.

Treasury of Ironwork Designs: 469 Examples from Historical Sources (Dover Pictorial Archive Series)

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Historically, Spain was one of the countries in Europe that produced metal works out of copper, silver, and possibly bronze. This was all before iron was discovered, but no one knows exactly when iron was first used in Spain. There are some hints about its history, but nothing is positive.

Experts do know that Greek colonists operated iron mines in Marseilles, Spain around the sixth century B.C. The iron from these mines was used to make weapons for war. In most cases, conquering forces impose their tools and ways on those they conquer. The Romans, however, adopted the Spanish
after the Second Punic War. It took the Romans quite a while to create this sword, but eventually they became quite adept at sword making.

Most early examples of iron weapons and daily household utensils have been lost. From the fifth to the eight centuries there is even less information about manufactured iron. The Visigoths didn’t use iron in their armor when they took over the area, and neither did the Moors. They imported weapons and arms rather than use the weapons of they area. They used bronze and other precious metals instead of iron for objects not used for war.

The Moors didn’t conquer all of Spain; in fact the northern provinces of the peninsula remained free. It was from this area that Spanish Christians and other European states were getting their armor, although it is usually classified as being French.

The northern region of Catalonia has proven to be where early iron smelting evolved. It produced malleable iron which was easily wrought. The earliest examples of Spanish decorative ironwork were produced in the provinces north of Ebro.

Prior to the Catalonian forge, iron was smelted in basin-shaped hollows in the ground which produced small amounts of poor quality iron. The Catalans developed a permanent rectangular hearth, but its construction method wasn’t perfect.

The process was so much better than previous methods that it was used in Europe and possibly Germany and Belgium at the same time it was used in Catalonia. The quality of malleable iron smelted out of these mines made all of the ironwork of the time possible.

Any iron capable of being welded can be called malleable. It then becomes steel as it is tempered which hardens it to the point it can create a spark with flint. Cast iron, on the other hand, cannot be hammered or welded. Malleable iron goes through the process of being heated, hammered, and rolled until it is tough and flexible. It can be wrought while hot, but can also be hammered and bent when it is cold. It also goes through a different grades of workability as it is becomes red-hot and then white-hot. When the iron is at this point, it is easier to stretch it, bend it, or weld it.

As the texture of the iron loosens when it is heated, it is quite easy to curl it into scrolls or other shapes if a blacksmith knows what he’s doing. They can then weld, hammer, or press them into rich intricate designs. The blacksmith must work quickly with an anvil, forge and bellows, tongs and chisels to create the desired effects.

Modern decorative ironwork would not be possible if it weren’t for the development of Spanish ironwork of the past. As decorative ironwork continued to spread, other countries had a part in the development of this art form. The changes from those countries will be explained at another time, so be watching for what happens during the Romanesque period.

Southwestern Colonial Ironwork: The Spanish Blacksmithing Tradition from Texas to California

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