I saw this anvil at the Hearsts castle tour, it looks like it was cast, when i dont know. Looks like a armourers stake anvil. Anyone with more info, than me can contribute, or put me on the right track for research. Thanks, Sean. 

Probably not cast.  Most likely wrought iron and a variety of techniques.  Built up by forge welding various lumps together, then forged, chiseled, and carved for the decorative details.

Also a standard shape from when the main anvil was a hornless cuboid.  Armourers, barrel makers, wagon smiths, ornamental smiths, etc and so on used them.  That is much more ornamental than the common ones.

Take a look at Thomas Latane's work.  He does stake anvils, though not quite as elaborate as this one.  He also does the gothic chiseled style faces, though not in those locations, as far as I know (yet).  Hope he sees this image and it inspires him.  With the right team he surely could do this.

That is a superb stake anvil though.  Can see why it is in a castle.

A cowbell sitting on top?

in that era, the blacksmiths were so good that their work could seem cast.

 

I have a little more info. than i did before, thanks for everyones help. 

Sean.

Flaters were not optinal, as the clients didn't want to see hammer marks, that is a modern ethetic. 

I'm not talking just about the resulting state of the forged surface, but the complexity of the shape itself, which far surpass the functionality needs. they were not making just tools, but beautiful tools.

every day while in the workshop I admire and meditate about the amount of skill and work invested in the making of my "pig" double horned anvil. and that is a later anvil, which belongs to the industrial revolution, but there's still more than needed into that.

Edited October 13, 201510 yr by matei campan

Advertisement. As a smith makes most of his own tools, if his tools are beutiful he must have the skills to make your "X" well and beutiful too...

A lot of "upscale" tools were pieces made to pass examination to rise up in the guild so the apprentice  to journeyman and journeyman to master "pieces"

Wouldnt that be master "works" lol