Door Knocker
Unknown Artist
15th–16th century
Medium
Iron
Dimensions
a: Diam. 9in. (22.9cm) a: Diam. 9 in. (22.9cm) b: H: 7 5/8in. (19.4cm); W: 7 5/8in.(19.4 cm) c: H: 3 3/4in. (9.5 cm); W: 3 3/4in. (9.5 cm) d: L: 3 1/4in. (8.3cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Iron
Culture
European
Department
The Cloisters
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Cloisters Collection, 1952
Accession Number
52.121.5a–d
Art Historical Context
This robust iron door knocker, by an unknown European artisan in the 15th or 16th century, the functional artistry of late medieval metalwork. Comprising multiple components—including a 9-inch diameter ring (), a nearly 7¾-inch square plate (b), a smaller 3¾-inch square element (c), and a 3¼-inch length (d)—it was designed for heavy use on grand entrances. Displayed in The Cloisters at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Cloisters Collection,1952), it transports visitors to an era when blacksmiths transformed raw iron through heating, hammering, and shaping into enduring objects that blended u...