Erich Riesel

Hill-Country Iron Worker

The legacy of Erich Riesel through words and photographs. This is the story of one of smithings' most accomplished, yet little-known artisans. Leslie and Hopkins-Hughs have restored Riesel to his proper place in the pantheon of ironwork artists. He learned the ironworking trade as an apprentice in Magdeburg, Germany, a ninth-century city noted for its Romanesque church and its steel industry, but his father, wanting to save his only child from war, sent him to America. After working as a cowboy on a number of Hill Country ranches, his gifts as a talented ornamental ironworker were accidentally discovered by two oilmen who were establishing handsome ranch/retreats on the banks of the Guadalupe River in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. For five years Riesel endowed their properties with beautiful ornamental works that have continued to evoke admiration. From massive ranch gates to airy railings to intricate chandeliers, Riesel turned out masterpiece after masterpiece creating a legacy that still endures at the Presbyterian Mo-Ranch Assembly, Hunt, Texas.

Format: Hardcover   Dimensions: 9" x 10"   Pages: 96   Illustrations: 70 B&W