Door knocker

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Iron door knocker, from the 15th-16th centuries, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City) Door Knocker MET cdi55-61-32ab.jpg
Iron door knocker, from the 15th–16th centuries, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City)
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The sound of a door knocker
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A door knocker is an item of door furniture that allows people outside a house or other dwelling or building to alert those inside to their presence. A door knocker has a part fixed to the door, and a part (usually metal) which is attached to the door by a hinge, and may be lifted and used to strike a plate fitted to the door, or the door itself, making a noise. The struck plate, if present, would be supplied and fitted with the knocker. Door knockers are often ornate, but may be no more than a simple fitting with a metal bob, or ring.

Contents

Types

German professor Franz Sales Meyer distinguished three kinds of door knocker: the "ring", the "hammer", and an ornate category which could take the shape of an animal or another figure. [1] High demand for antique door knockers in the early 20th century in the United States caused forged versions to emerge. [2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Franz Sales, Meyer (1896). texts A Handbook Of Ornament: With Three Hundred Plates, Containing About Three Thousand Illustrations Of The Elements, And The Application Of Decoration To Objects. B. T. Batsford. pp. 408–410. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  2. ↑ Atlee Barber, Edwin (January 1910). "Old Door-Knockers". Bulletin of the Pennsylvania Museum. 8 (29): 5–9. doi:10.2307/3793788. JSTOR   3793788.
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