Regulating stove, the so-called fairy-tale stove

In the period around 1890 a stove was not only a practical heating appliance, but also a status symbol for well-off families. This black oven made of iron, not quite 1.9 metres high, is an impressive example of one. A little house with a small tower sits on its ornately decorated base. Elaborate decorations around the little house tell the story of The Seven Ravens by the Brothers Grimm. The story concerns a girl whose courage and determination saves her brothers who have been turned into ravens. The tale begins on the narrow side of the stove to the right in rectangular, stacked panels, and continues on the left. The happy ending – the rescue of the brothers – is depicted on the front in a central field framed by three arches. Such an elaborate stove required a great deal of care, with cleaning that took up to two days, using finely crushed ash. The finishing touch was to polish the surface with bacon rind to make it shine.