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The painting and three other variants of the theme by Ryckaert are considered the oldest paintings of a blast furnace and foundry in Europe. It depicts the 'Walloon' method of iron production, named after the region of modern-day Belgium. The two stage method involves first the production of pig iron in a blast furnace followed by refinement in a finery forge. Devised in the 15th century, the method had spread Europe-wide by the early 17th century and was key in the international arms race in the 15th century for the production of both stronger weapons and stronger armour. Here we see a furnace with a wide, flat opening, perhaps six metres high, made of hewn stone and accessed at the top by a staircase affixed to the side.
This early work by Ryckaert clearly manifests the influence of Lucas van Valckenborch, to whom other variants of the composition have previously been wrongly attributed.
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