Artisan blacksmith from Innervillgraten, Austria
Anyone who has ever searched for artisan blacksmiths will quickly realise that there are not that many of them left as forging by hand is a dying profession. Alfons Steidl, with his own forge in Innervillgraten in East Tyrol, is indeed one of the exceptions. And the one where the search for high-quality forged candle holders with a thorn to hold different types of candles has come to a happy end as Steidl's candle holders have found their way into our range. They are ideal for the sculptural candles here – and of course for many others.
Steidl is a "village blacksmith for the love of the craft, an artisan blacksmith for the joy of creating", as he describes it. Indeed, it runs in the family, for the smithy has been in the family since 1807. In 1980, Alfons Steidl took over the blacksmith's business from his father and continued to run it as an artists' forge. Together with his brother, he designs, plans and makes handmade individual pieces, for example lamps, beautiful utensils, candlesticks, picture frames and forged small pieces of furniture. In addition, Steidl and his team continue to see themselves as village blacksmiths. That means, above all, mending, repairs and practical orders of all kinds.
At the Steidl smithy, every little part is made by hand. This is supposed to still be visible in the finished workpiece: the rough surfaces remain as they are – no varnish, no sandpaper, no frills. But instead, manual work with a lot of expertise and no frills.
