What a gorgeous, different, outstanding door knocker! It was created by a French sculptor, Emile-Antoine Bourdelle early in the 1900s. Bourdelle believed that history’s best sculptures were those that were integrated with architecture – he would fit right in as a staff sculptor at Architectural Classics!

He was born in 1861, and created the Medusa head sculpture four years before his death in 1925 – when his talent had already had a lifetime to fully develop. He was known as an expressionist artist, but his not-strictly-realistic work did not come from a lack of ability in detail. Medusa, as well as his other sculptures, are created with beautiful lifelike lines, and the Medusa head-knocker has such a striking, gravity-defying appearance. Rodin, who created the sculpture The Thinker, became an admirer of Bourdelle’s, and Bourdelle became his assistant when he was young. A street is named after him in Paris, and he was interred at Paris’s famous Montparnasse cemetery.

It is actually meant to be Perseus’s hand from which Medusa’s severed head hangs. The Greek myth is quite heart-wrenching, for an imaginary story! Medusa was once a beautiful nymph, but was raped by Poseidon in Athena’s temple … the goddess turned her hair into snakes, and made her face so frightening to behold that the mere sight of it would turn men to stone. Medusa was pregnant with Poseidon’s child when the King of Seriphus, Polydectes, sent Perseus to behead her in her sleep. He needs several magical, rare items to complete his task, and his genius is in looking at her in a mirror to complete the task rather than directly – so he is not turned to stone. Pegasus, the winged horse, and another mythological creature, Chrysaor, sprung forth from her neck when her head was removed.

Such a sad story, but such a beautiful door knocker…

Photo credits: World Myths and Legends in Art

You can just imagine these knockers as a couple of grumpy old men, sitting at the side of a river fishing… or sitting on their porch perhaps whittling some wood or smoking a pipe! Those of you with the traditionally ubiquitous lion’s head knocker can also be grateful that not every doorknocker has this amount of animation or personality. When Sarah has to pinch the door knocker’s nose shut to get the ring back in, you can see how you might have a bit of trouble doing that with a live lion’s head – with metal teeth, nonetheless!

It is possible to buy these knockers online, but they don’t strictly fit the antique theme that many of you reading our blog will be looking for. They may be a cute way for your kids to join in on your fascination with antiques and architectural classics, though. If you get sick of hearing “Knock, and the door shall open”, just take the batteries out!

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