Strong people of the 12th century make androgynous knockers
Wow – such an awesome door knocker that if you had the chance to put it on your door, you probably wouldn’t even mind that it is a bit chipped. This is what cast bronze can look like as it ages, when it is left un-lacquered – you get some gorgeous contrasts between the protruding metal, which is polished by time and people’s hands, and the receding metal, which collects a layer of time and darkens.
Archaeologists believe that this door knocker was made in southern Italy around 1100. Given that there is a lettered inscription in Arabic around the edge, it is interesting to imagine who might have made it, paid for it, owned it, and had it on their door… Perhaps one of the earliest immigrants from Arabia to Europe wanted a reminder of his faith. Perhaps he didn’t want his Muslim faith submerged by the dominant faith of the area, and made a constant reminder of it to hang on his front door – both for himself and others. Either way, when you think about it, he/she must have been a very strong willed person to put a statement going against the popular religion of the area on his door, back when religion was an even touchier subject than it is now.
The actual knocker is made by both casting and engraving the bronze, so at least a couple of people were probably involved in making it – each skill was quite specialized, back in the day. Another great feature of the knocker is that the lion could be either male or female – another way it flies in the face of tradition at the time. It does have a mane, but while the actual face is cast, the mane is engraved, making it much less prominent. It’s there, but you have to look for it.
An enigma wrapped in a mystery…!
Photo credits: Cosmophilia by McMullen Museum of Art, Boston College
One of the oldest door knockers known to mankind is this one from the town of