Between the second half of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century, many artefacts intended for street lighting and urban furnishings were made from cast iron castings: their presence contributed to transforming the face to cities, thus also becoming one of the most significant expressions of the rise of industrialisation.
Cast iron castings, such as the base of the Venetian street light subject to the short film, are characterised by an extremely high level of craftsmanship: firstly, the design, then the modelling, both require an artist’s hand, even if the end purpose is not, strictly speaking, a work of art, but the creation of an object with a specific intention.
It is the process itself - being so complex and articulated - that requires such skill. The finesse and precision of the modelling, which form the basis of casting, give rise to high-end artefacts, even if manufacturers in series.