Grillwork

Grillwork is decorative grating of metal, wood, stone, or other material used as a screen, divider, barrier, or as a purely decorative element. It may function as a window, either with or without glazing. Grillwork may also refer to grilles, decorative front ends of motor vehicles. Grillwork is sometimes referred to as simply as a grill or as grille, but the latter terms do not convey a decorative quality. These words are all derived from the Old French greille.

Other terms are used to refer to such decorative work. If the screen is made from iron, the term ironwork is often used. The term in Spanish, reja can also refer to metal fences. If the screen is made from cutouts of wood, the term fretwork is also used.

Examples of grillwork

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  The 18th-century fence of Summer Garden in St. Petersburg is a recurring subject in Russian poetry and art.
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  Spanish 17th century wrought iron and bronze grillwork by Francisco Gonzales, Metropolitan Museum of Art
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  Early 20th-century American grillwork, anonymous, Honolulu Museum of Art
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  Architectural stone grillwork from a house in northern India, Rajput Dynasty, 17th-18th century, Honolulu Museum of Art
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  Marin County, California, Civic Center, 1963.

References

• Southworth, Susan and Michael Southworth, Ornamental ironwork, an illustrated guide to its design, history & use in American architecture, New York, McGraw-Hill, 1992.