Geležies amatininkų dirbiniai namų apyvokoje

ENWith the extension of the railway in 1862, economic and technical advancements accelerated across Lithuania. Iron brought on the railway was cheaper and easier to access than swamp ore, and began to be more widely used for household utensils. Along with the increased availability of iron appeared new trades: pot menders, copper smiths and tinsmiths. This article describes the National Museum of Lithuania's collection of metal house wares made in the 19th and early 20th century by a variety of trades people – blacksmiths, vat and vessel makers, tinsmiths and coppersmiths. Blacksmiths made knives, cleavers, pothooks and trivets. Vessel makers made vats, cooking pots and pans. Coppersmiths made teapots, measuring containers, vats, baking forms, quarts and saucepans. Tinsmiths made forms for cookies, sausage stuffers, moulds, funnels and graters. Most village smiths were inventive designers. Even now, original ironwork still finds its way into museum collections, exhibiting the masterwork and skill of these craftspeople. In recent years, the National Museum of Lithuania has acquired an iron spinning wheel, apparatus to measure the thickness of wood and weight-measuring devices. As shown in the museum collection, the greater part of the iron and copper home wares were made by Lithuanian craftspeople, proving that it is always worthwhile to show them in ethnographic exhibits.