Furnace

Furnace A furnace from the Potoccy collection, of finely finished brass and black-painted sheet metal, in the empire style, from the 19th century. The furnace is composed of a flattened ball with a cover (charcoal container) and an ash container linked to it. The cover has a brass knob with four openings – holes – to remove it. The side of a cover has a round opening closed off by a brass door, which works as a ventilation device during combustion. The lower part of the ball is the hearth with the grate in the form of a semicircular inlay with two grips. The ball as a ring with three bent rods protruding; at the ash container, they take the shape of three volutes with two acanthus leaves, ending in legs shaped as two lion legs. Above, the rods are decorated with three brass, winged griffins, holding a triangular ash container (the component linking the ball with the ash container is missing, only the openings are left). The empire style is a form of late neoclassicism that emerged in France around 1800–1815 (imperial period), and was found in fashion, architecture and utilitarian arts. In Germany and Austria empire co-existed with the Biedermeier style. The furnace adorns the salon of the Turkish Apartment on the ground floor of the castle.