Antique 19th Century Iron Garden Benches from Arras, Set of 2

h 75 x w 140 x d 50 cm

The French antique garden furniture style Arras is named after the town where it was created, Arras in Northern France. The style emerged around 1840 when the Grassin-Baledans factory, one of the three companies manufacturing metal products in the town began, to specialise in garden furniture and started producing artistic ironwork.
with welding not used at the time, all authentic Arras pieces are entirely hand forged and riveted, using ‘fer elegi’ and ‘fer plane’ or metal tubing and flat metal. The wrought iron has a very distinctive look and the furniture was intended for the high-end market at a time when the privileged classes were discovering the benefits of outdoor living.
Originally embellished with lion paws, this changed to horse hooves after 1900, primarily to reduce production costs but incidentally giving a smoother and sleeker design that is often more desirable. A small brass plaque with the factory’s name stamped into it that was attached to each piece as it was completed.